Fullmetal Firefly: Serenity
by Bookwrm389
Summary: Revised version. All Captain Roy Mustang wants is to do the job so he can get paid and keep flying. But he gets more than he bargained for when he takes on a passenger with two automail limbs and one deadly secret.
1. The Sacrifices We Made

_A.N. Here it is! __Fullmetal Firefly__, newly rewritten and revised! The basic concept is the same, but I cleaned it up and changed pretty much all of the dialogue to have more FMA influence. I hope those who enjoyed the first one will like this version MUCH better. I sure did._

Chapter One - The Sacrifices We Made

"Do you know what the definition of a hero is? Someone who gets other people killed."  
--Zoe

The Alliance made their move at dusk, just as Colonel Roy Mustang expected they would. This planet-side siege on the lone world of Ishval had lasted far longer than anyone could have predicted and it seemed the new regime was no longer interested in waiting them out. It was all or nothing, here and now at the Battle of Serenity Valley.

Inch by inch, the Alliance soldiers were gaining ground on the last refuge of the Independents. Men and women sporting the long, brown coats they were named for fell beneath the onslaught and their dying cries seemed to reach the stars. Far above their heads, Alliance ships swooped low and their bullets ripped into everything in their path.

Roy leaned out from behind the barricade and took careful aim. With one snap of his fingers, the port engine of one of the ships exploded and sent the skiff into a tailspin. Browncoats all over the valley raised their guns and roared their approval when a column of fire in the distance announced the skiff's demise. Once again, Roy sent silent thanks to his mother for condemning him to eight years of hell with a cranky old alchemist she called a teacher. So many times the ancient science had been a deciding factor in this war and it looked like this battle would be no different.

The raven-haired colonel scrambled further back to join his fellow rebels and the disheveled soldiers gathered around him. All save for two men hunched over the communicator in the corner. Fuery was utterly focused on the voices in his headphones, so Roy gestured at Havoc for news. "Tell me the rest of the alchemists are on the way!"

Havoc grimaced around the cigarette in his mouth. "They're holding back, Colonel. Said they want to assess our status."

"Our status is we need some _gorram_ alchemists!" Roy shouted. "If the Alliance mows us down here, our base is next and who the ruttin' hell will protect 'em then? Go tell them that!"

"Word for word?" Havoc inquired, sounding oddly hopeful.

"Word for word," Roy confirmed. "And tell Gran he's being a lazy ass while you're at it. Maybe that'll get him out here."

Havoc yanked the headphones of Fuery's head and tucked them around his own ears. Roy hoped to the bottom of his heart that the maniacal grin wasn't from hysteria and turned his attention to the rest of his subordinates.

Or what was left of them. Of his inner circle, only Riza Hawkeye, Jean Havoc and Kain Fuery were alive. All the others here were leaderless soldiers from scattered units and Roy pushed any thoughts about his missing comrades to the back of his mind. Thinking about it wouldn't bring them back.

"Lieutenant," Roy said, turning to Riza. "Get your squad to high ground and start picking 'em off."

Riza paused in the middle of reloading our rifle. "High ground? Where those ships will spot us like a bull's eye?"

"I'll take care of the skiffs," Roy promised. He tapped the transmutation circles on the back of his gloves. "These babies don't run out of ammo--"

A deafening explosion shook the base and everyone dropped to their stomachs as they were pelted with rubble. Roy shook the dirt from his eyes and scanned the faces around him. There was one less than before and everyone's eyes locked onto the dead body beside them.

"Just focus!" Roy barked.

Six pairs of hunted eyes stared at him and Roy racked his brain for some miraculous words that he hadn't already used in previous battles. Reminding them of why they were fighting wouldn't be enough. But nor could he reiterate what they stood to lose if the battle went south. Under these circumstances, the sacrifice of freedom and individuality wouldn't seem like so great a price to pay.

Roy knew better.

"The Alliance said they were gonna waltz through Serenity Valley," Roy began, meeting the eyes of every soldier. "And we _choked _'em with those words! We have done the _impossible _and that makes us mighty!"

Good start. They were looking a little less green now. He just had to make them feel like the heroes they should be and not the disorganized band of rebels they really were.

"Just hold out a little longer!" Roy commanded. "We got twenty alchemists back there who've honed their skills just for days like these. And every one of you are gonna hold the line until they get here. Hear me? You_ hold!_"

Another explosion rocked the base and Roy waved at the soldiers to get moving. Once they were outside, he moved to the front of the barricade and started scouting the sky for more skiffs to bring down.

"Sir--"

"Not now, Hawkeye," Roy said vaguely, waving her back. A distant whine warned him that his target was approaching and he hopped on top of the barricade. "_I'm right here, you arrogant cods!_"

"_Colonel!_"

The skiff came in low, racing only yards above the barren land and coming straight toward him. Roy held up both his hands and snapped his fingers.

And there were no sparks.

The skiff extended its long-range guns.

"Oh _shi--!_"

Riza wrapped her arms around him and hauled him back just as bullets ate into the barricade where he had been standing. Roy cast a dazed look at her over his shoulder before looking down at his gloves. The threads were torn out of one, rendering the alchemic symbols unreadable, and the other was too stained with blood for the ignition-cloth to create a spark.

"How many times do I have to tell you to double check your gloves?" Riza snapped impatiently and put a rifle in his hands.

"They're normally okay!" Roy said defensively. "They're not like guns that need to be reloaded every thirty seconds!"

"And can last for more than one_ gorram_ battle!" Riza countered. "How many pairs have you ruined now?"

Roy shoved a cartridge into his rifle curtly. "Now that's just unfair! I ain't even--!"

"_How many_, sir?"

"Two."

"Just the two?"

"…plus ten."

Riza rose up to check for approaching enemies beyond the barricade. "I'll cover you to that turret down there. Should be enough firepower left to get that last skiff. Miles more trustworthy than your archaic circles."

"Copy _that_," Roy grumbled. He crouched low behind the barricade, preparing to charge into the open. "Try to keep in mind, Lieutenant, not _all_ of us are useless when we lose our circles. Have some faith in my kind."

"I have faith in _you_," Riza replied coolly. "Go now!"

She stood quickly and began shooting down the slope. Roy jogged down the hill in a half-crouch, shooting down soldiers right and left. Halfway down he took cover and waited for Riza to join him. The turret was guarded by two Alliance soldiers, who foolishly thought it best not to waste turret ammo on them. That was their last mistake. Riza sent them on their way with bullets in their skulls and Roy rushed down the hill to take his place on the turret.

The high-pitched noise returned and Roy spun the turret in that direction. The dark skiff bore down on him, wings slicing neatly through the dust clouds kicked up by the battle. Roy put the Alliance coat of arms directly between the crosshairs and opened fire.

"Go down, go _down_," Roy snarled.

Bullet after bullet pummeled the skiff, eating away at the polished metal until the wing finally broke away. The ship made one lazy rotation and took a nosedive. Roy ducked when it soared clean over him, smashing into the hill. Steel crumpled against the ground and bits of glass fell down the slope in a glittering rain.

"See _that?!_" Roy roared. "Think you'll make _me_ into one of your mindless, law-abiding citizens? Just _try_ it!"

"Sir," Riza said slowly. "We should go back up."

Roy nodded and slung his rifle over his shoulder. "Yeah. Reinforcements should be here soon."

Riza looked at him solemnly, gripping her rifle close to her chest. "No, Colonel. They should have been here already."

Oh. Good point.

The two soldiers trudged back up the hill to find Fuery huddled in a corner. His pale complexion was explained when they saw Havoc's bullet-ridden body beside the communicator. Roy bit back a curse and motioned for Riza to take his place. There was a lull in the battle now, but all hell would break loose once the Alliance forces had a chance to regroup.

"Fuery," Roy said quietly. He punched the man's shoulder lightly. "Hey, Fuery."

"We're gonna die, Colonel," Fuery whispered.

"Don't talk like that," Roy said firmly.

Fuery raised his head, looking at him in utter misery. "We _are_. We don't have the numbers or the firepower…"

"We've got the whole damn '_verse_ on our side," Roy told him. "Hell, we've held out for so long because we got _alchemists_ on our side! That's more than those bastards across the valley can claim."

Still Fuery refused to look at him. Roy looked out over the barricade wall. How much time did they have before the Alliance made another assault?

Looking down at his shell-shocked subordinate, he decided there was plenty of time. He bunkered down beside Fuery and stripped off his glove, holding it up so the ruined circle was visible. "Know what this is?"

"Alchemy," Fuery said dully.

"And you know the first law of alchemy?"

Fuery shook his head weakly. Roy traced a finger around the circle. "Equivalent Exchange. It's not just the law of alchemy, it's the law of the entire 'verse. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost."

He clapped a hand on Fuery's shoulder. "You see all the bodies out there? That's only a fraction of what we lost in this war. And the universe is _not_ gonna let that go to waste. Freedom comes at a steep price and without that price, we wouldn't have even gotten _this_ far. Once the rest of our people roll in--"

"They're not coming."

Roy's heart stopped. Riza looked up from the communicator, clasping the headphones so hard her knuckles were white.

"What do you mean they're not coming?" Roy demanded. "They got to come! Do they want to lose this war?!"

To his devastation, Riza nodded grimly. "Gran betrayed us," she said shakily. "He's murdered our leaders."

"W-What about the others?" Roy faltered. "The other alchemists…?"

Riza shook her head, looking sick. "All of our alchemists…they've defected. They joined the Alliance. We're to lay down arms."

Oh God…

Roy rose to his feet in a daze, gazing up into the darkened sky as a slow and steady roar filled the air. Dozens of Alliance cruisers descended from the stars, so large and powerful that they made the skiffs he took down look like butterflies. Some landed on the planet to drop off hundreds of Alliance foot soldiers while the rest stayed aloft, raining down fire and death on the rebels. All over the valley, Browncoats were throwing down their weapons and crying out for mercy.

Beside him, Fuery was shot down by a stray bullet. Riza shouted at him to take cover. But Roy could only stand there, watching helplessly as the universe he gave up so much to protect came crashing down.

* * *

_A.N. I feel soooo much better about this story now! That first draft deserved to be burned up by Roy's gloves and then sliced and diced with Ed's blade-arm-thing. More chapters coming!  
_


	2. The Crew Of Serenity

_A.N. I know that my new choice for Jayne is nothing like him, but I'm over that. Greed has been a thorn in my side since the beginning and doesn't fit in with this motley crew. He belongs where I originally wanted him, in the role of Badger. _

_By the way, I LIKE long chapters! I hate reading chapters that are only a thousand words where barely anything happens. That's not how I like to read and it's not how I like to write. The rest of the chapters will probably be similar in length to this, so get ready for some reading!_

Chapter Two - The Crew Of Serenity

"My God, what can it be? We're all doomed, who's _flying_ this thing?! Oh right, that would be me."  
--Wash

After the Battle of Serenity Valley--known behind closed doors as the Ishval Massacre--all terra-formed planets were brought under a single, authoritative rule. And alchemists like Roy Mustang were left with a terrible choice. Compulsory enlistment in the military or a lifetime of imprisonment for the illegal practice of alchemy.

The bravest souls chose option number three. Defeated Browncoats and former alchemists alike fled to the outer planets and border moons, doing what they could to blend in with society and keep their freedom. For Roy this meant taking free-lance work, legal or otherwise, as the captain of a Firefly-class ship with a small crew that consider themselves closer than family.

Most of the time.

_**Six Years Later**_

The remains of the wrecked ship floated listlessly among the stars, barely holding together when Serenity carefully docked with it. The Firefly's airlock grinded open and three figures donned in spacesuits made their careful way down the side of the wreck.

Roy led the way to their goal, steering clear of the shattered windows that had spelled out the death of this vessel's crew. The people who once lived here had done nothing wrong. If Greed was to be believed, they had done their job very well and simply had the bad luck of hitting some space debris before the job was finished. Now it would be this crew's duty to see that the goods reached the proper owner and take the payment for themselves.

The radio by Roy's ear fizzed to life. "These people never stood a chance," Ling said solemnly. "Let's finish quickly so we can leave their spirits in peace."

"Believe me, they won't be waking up anytime soon," Roy told him. "Besides bad luck follows the cargo, not the crew."

"Then why are we taking on this cargo?" Ling inquired.

"Because I felt like we could use a little more bad luck," Roy said sardonically.

Roy held out his hand and Riza gave him a small gun-shaped device. He brought the tool up to the door and a clear, gel-like substance oozed from the end. For once, he had to hand it to the Alliance. Before that tool was invented, drawing transmutation circles in a vacuum had been nearly impossible. Any writing material would have frozen and broken up, making it impossible to write with.

The captain traced a basic transmutation circle over the panel covering the lock and pressed his hands to the metal on either side of it. The gel glowed a brilliant blue-white and the panel melted away, revealing the locking mechanism.

"Stand back," Roy cautioned and reached inside to turn the switch the other way. They didn't hear the door unlock, but the sight of the door bursting open under the pressure inside was impossible to miss. At least the three crates inside were strapped down and didn't get blown out with it. _That _would have been hard to explain to Greed.

"They look intact," Riza said in relief.

"Only three," Ling mused.

"Be glad we found _something_," Roy told him. "Start moving them up to Serenity. Hughes, how we doing?"

"_Everything looks good from here._"

"Glad to hear it."

"_Yes,_" Hughes murmured. "_Yes, this is a fertile land and we will thrive…_"

Roy paused in the middle of passing a crate to Riza and they shared a confused look.

"_We will rule over all this land!_" Hughes proclaimed. "_And we will call it…This Land!_"

There was clicking sound and then it was Winry's voice over the radio, sounding very gravelly and not at all like her normal self. "_I think we should call it your GRAVE!_"

Hughes gave a dramatic gasp. "_Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!_"

"Hughes--" Roy began impatiently.

"_Ahahahaha,_" Winry cackled. "_Mine is an evil laugh! Now DIE!_"

Many snarls and growls followed that statement and Hughes cried out in fake agony. "_Oh, no God! Oh, dear God in Heaven--!_"

"Maes Hughes and Winry Rockbell!" Roy bellowed. "Not even God will be able to save you if you keep that up!"

White noise buzzed in his ear followed by another click. "_Uh, sorry Captain_," Winry said sheepishly. "_We were doing a role play over the radio while we were waiting for you guys and got a little carried away…_"

"Role play?" Roy said in disbelief. "We're in the middle of a job here! You should be looking out for us, not playing the villain in a two-person play!"

"Mind you, she makes one sexy villain," Ling smirked.

"_Heard that!_"

"_We're still on the job, don't worry,_" Hughes called down. "_Speaking of, how's the grave-robbing going?_"

Roy passed the second crate to Ling and motioned him on to Serenity before taking the last one in hand. "We got what we came for. Just need to pack up and…uh, Hughes?"

"_Yeah, Roy?_"

"You looked at the screens lately?"

"_Yeah and everything looks fine. Why?_"

Blinding spotlights played over the wrecked vessel and Roy ducked further back to avoid being seen. "Then maybe you could explain why there's an Alliance cruiser flashing its lights in my eyes!"

"_What?_" Hughes yelped. "_WHOA, that's a big ship!_"

"You didn't see it?!" Roy roared. "It's right in front of your nose!"

"_Well I wasn't looking out the window!_"

"Try it once in awhile! Shut Serenity down now! Everything but the air."

The spotlight returned and Roy waited for it to pass before pushing off in the direction of his own ship. With the lights off and the engine shut down, Serenity was only recognizable as a black patch of sky where no stars shone. Riza was already inside Serenity's airlock and Ling was just ahead of Roy, pulling himself up the side of the wreck with one hand while the other held tight to his crate. Another spotlight swept between them and Roy spared a moment to look back at the cruiser, a massive construct that towered over Serenity like a skyscraper.

Six years his life had been spent like this, eking out a living in the shadows of the new regime. The Alliance ruled the planets like every speck of matter in the universe belonged to them. No one was permitted to think on their own or decide what morals they would live by. That was decided for them.

Roy knew he was doing nothing wrong. He had been given a job to retrieve these crates and get their contents to people who needed them. There was nothing immoral or evil about that.

So how was it that a few spotlights on his back could make him feel like a thief?

"Are they coming for us?" Riza called.

"_Negative,_" Hughes said quietly. "_I don't think they're interested…no wait, they're deploying gunships! You've got about thirty seconds, get your asses moving!_"

Ling pulled himself into the airlock and reached back to haul Roy in with him. Riza slammed the airlock shut and within seconds the air pressure evened out, making the crates drop to the floor hard.

"We're on!" Roy yelled into the intercom. "Go!"

"_Hang on, travelers!_" Hughes announced.

Serenity detached from the wreck and the tail end lit up like a star. The gunships barely had time to lock on before the firefly zoomed off into the black, leaving nothing but dust in her wake.

* * *

Hughes locked in the coordinates for Serenity's next destination and sagged back in the pilot's chair. Another close call. Just a few more seconds would have had him and the rest of the crew locked up for a few years. And the odds were high that there would be plenty more close shaves in the future.

But Hughes didn't mind. Because Roy and Riza and Winry and even that annoying Xingese kid had given him something that he never thought he would have again.

A family to protect.

The pilot rose to his feet and stretched, taking the time to touch a small picture taped to the dashboard. A young woman and a three-year-old girl smiled up at him, oblivious to the fact that they had both been buried nearly a decade ago. Day after day, his failure to protect them haunted his thoughts. Yet even in his pain he couldn't bear to part with the faded photos, with his fragile memories of their faces.

_Gracia...Elysia..._

Hughes left the bridge and made his way through Serenity's dim halls to the cargo hold. Riza was storing the suits and Ling had hauled the crates into the dead center of the hold, eager to bust them open and claim the goods. Roy barely reacted when Hughes clapped him on the shoulder.

"How long until we reach Persephone?" the captain muttered.

"Three or four hours," Hughes replied. "We in a hurry?"

Roy just shrugged him off. "I hate hanging on to cargo any longer than I have to."

"You can tell me if you're worried about that cruiser catching up," Hughes informed him. "Which it _won't_. Or don't you trust me anymore?"

That got a little smirk out of his best friend. "Hughes, your piloting skills are the _only_ thing I trust about you."

Winry finally put in an appearance, leaning against the doorframe with an unhappy expression. "What'd we steal this time?"

"Salvage," Riza corrected her. "There was no one there to steal from."

"Right," Winry sighed. "When can we find some real jobs to do? I hate all this sneaking around, it just gets us into trouble."

Ling paused in the middle of digging a crowbar under the lid of a crate. "My lady, you have no sense of adventure! Don't you get even the tiniest thrill out of knowing we gave those bastards the slip?"

Winry just shook her head, biting back a smile through sheer force of will. Despite years of working together, she and Ling had never shown much interest in each other. It was odd when Hughes thought about it. Under normal circumstances, having two very young and very passionate people isolated together on the fringes of space was just _begging_ for trouble. But the few sparks Hughes had seen had never been kindled, merely fizzing out into gentle teasing. He had long ago given up on playing the matchmaker and getting them together.

Now Roy and Riza on the other hand…

Ling pried the lid off the first crate and the crew gathered to see what the take was. They were met with a wonderful sight. The crate was filled to the brim with bars the size of bricks, each individually wrapped in gold-tinted foil. Pure grade foodstuffs worth far more than their weight in gold.

"We're rich!" Ling cried joyously.

"I'd say this was worth a little risk," Hughes agreed.

"Alright, enough ogling," Roy said firmly, snapping the lid back on. "Let's get these put away. The last thing we need is passengers tripping over them."

He moved off to the side and slid a panel away from the wall, revealing a hidden nook that had served as a hideaway for all kinds of illegal paraphernalia throughout the years. Winry shot Roy a stunned look as she helped Ling move a crate into the nook. "We're taking on passengers? Really?!"

Hughes hauled the second crate over to the nook and chuckled. "You sound more excited about the passengers than the goods."

"Aren't you?" Winry demanded. "We barely _ever_ get new people on this ship! I _love_ to hear all their stories, find out where they're from and what they're home is like…"

"Plus it gives you the chance to brag about _your_ home," Ling said slyly. "How it's so _beautiful_ and _wonderful_ and _unpolluted _and you'll think you're in _Heaven_ if you ever visit!"

"This coming from the guy who'll bore the passengers to death about the proud nation of _Xing_," Winry countered, rolling her eyes. "And how you _could_ have been the Emperor if _only_ the Alliance hadn't won the war and disbanded the nation."

Ling covered his heart with his palm and bowed his head. "The 'verse shall never know."

Roy shoved the last crate into the alcove and slid the panel back in place. "The 'verse dodged a bullet, then. I shudder to think of how a kid like you would abuse that kind of power."

With the goods stowed away, Hughes dusted off his hands and set off for the bridge. But not before hearing Ling's comeback. "And what about you, Captain? If you had that kind of power, what would you do?"

The pilot paused halfway up the stairs, honestly curious about his friend's answer. Roy looked off into the distance, seeming to take the question seriously for a moment.

Then he grinned.

"You want to know what I would do?" Roy said grandly. "First off, I'd buy you lot a round of drinks. Right after I made you governors of your home worlds."

"Here we go," Riza muttered as she passed Hughes on the stairs. "Let's go before he gets to the Miniskirt Harem."

"On top of that, I'd restructure the entire army to include _only_ women! Men are _way _too undisciplined to be in _my_ army."

"And too masculine?" Ling snickered.

"That too!"

The voices faded as Hughes and Riza made their way to the upper portion of the ship. It was as they were passing through the kitchen that Hughes noticed the tense line to her shoulders. "What's up?"

"Something's not right," Riza said reluctantly. "The captain's so tense…"

Hughes waved her up the stairs to the bridge first, letting a wide smirk play out on his lips. "Roy's _always_ tense. Which I suspect _wouldn't_ be the case if you hung out in his bunk every so often."

Riza looked back at him with narrow eyes. "Somehow I doubt that."

"And Lord knows if you were sleeping with him, we'd _all _be a lot better off," Hughes went on. "Just think, he'd be a little lax about working us so hard, give us a couple day's leave…maybe even buckle down enough to let us have a party with _actual _alcohol. And I bet you _anything _Roy's a hysterical drunk!"

Hughes flopped down in the pilot's seat lazily. Riza crossed her arms and leaned against the console, looking out on the starry sky outside. "Don't let your imagination get ahead of you. We still have a job to do."

"Yeah, it's _always_ the job with you guys," Hughes said quietly. "When are you gonna accept that the job will _always_ be in the way? A real relationship works around the job and the kids and the--"

"We have kids now?" Riza said sharply. "When did that happen?"

Hughes held up a finger with a secretive look. "Just now, in my head! Twin boys, both troublemakers but hard workers nonetheless. Naturally the firstborn will be named Maes."

"We already have a forty-something man-child named Maes," Riza said dryly. "The last thing we need is another you running around."

"Another who running where?" Roy asked, having arrived just in time to miss the interesting part of the conversation.

Riza shot Hughes a warning glance, which ran along the lines of '_one word out of you and I start shooting_'. He flashed her a thumbs-up and beamed at the captain innocently. "Nothing at all, sir! Riza and I were just discussing where we'd all be ten years from now."

"And I was telling Hughes that we would probably find him in a mental institution," Riza said coolly. "Space dementia is quite common in pilots."

"Right," Roy said slowly. "Has Rose checked in yet?"

"Not yet," Hughes replied. "But I think she had a pretty full docket…"

"Well make sure she gets back to us fast," Roy told him. "We'll be leaving Persephone as soon as our business is done."

With one last confused look at them, Roy left the bridge and Riza made her escape right behind him. Hughes watched them go, feeling at once impatient and resigned. The matchmaker hadn't been defeated. He just needed to lick his wounds before the next round.

* * *

_Persephone - Business District_

Rose breathed a long sigh of relief when the door of her shuttle whisked closed behind her last client. She took the time to straighten up the bed and blow out the candles, which left her in deep darkness. The little shuttle was lavishly decorated with the deeply colored linens and oriental ornaments and the ethnicity appealed greatly to her clientele for its mystique and beauty.

Little did they know that Rose had adorned the shuttle with another purpose in mind. That the statuettes on the table and the symbols sewn in to the fabrics were religious items pertaining to her culture and people. Once her clients were gone and the shuttle empty, it ceased to be a Companion's shuttle and became her home. Her sanctuary.

Rose moved to the back of the shuttle, shedding her silken robe as she went, and swept a broad purple curtain aside. The captain would have had a fit if he ever found out about this little addition. A tiny space of the carpet in the corner had been replaced with tile and a drain and directly above it was a spigot installed in the ceiling.

A real, working shower. On Serenity it wouldn't work of course, but once planet-side all it needed was a water hookup. Rose left the curtain open as she stepped onto the tile and turned the handle in the wall. Lukewarm water cascaded around her head, plastering her long hair to her back, and Rose shivered as she waited for it to heat up until her skin was scalded.

This was her ritual, a sort of meditation and cleansing all in one. After every customer, Rose would stand under the falling water and simply let her mind go. Sometimes she would pray and today's prayer was a silent one. For her husband and child, both lost when her home world was torn up by the war that had destroyed so many lives. For herself, that she might one day find her way and cease this way of life.

But her most fervent prayers were for her friends on Serenity.

As if they had heard her prayers, the communicator behind her lit up. "_Shuttle One, this is Serenity. Knock knock, Rose!_"

Rose turned off the water and took the time to wrap herself up before brushing aside the curtain hiding the shuttle's controls. She slid into the pilot's seat, reaching for the communicator as she went. "Copy, Serenity. It's good to hear from you, Hughes."

"_Likewise,_" Hughes said jovially. "_We're touching down at the Eavesdown Docks in ten minutes. Roy wants to make this more of a pit stop than a weekend stay, so be ready to leave._"

"I understand," Rose replied. "I'll meet you there."

"_Looking forward to it,_" Hughes added. "_We missed you out here._"

"I know," Rose said softly. "I've missed you all so much…"

She fired up the shuttle's engines and took hold of the steering column. The shuttle lifted off and Rose smiled as the familiar weightlessness washed over her, taking solace from the fact that she would soon be with her friends again. The friends that didn't look at her like a doll for sale in a window or make crude jokes when they thought she wouldn't hear them.

Serenity had become the very last place where she could just be herself. And it was a freedom that Rose knew she would never truly take for granted.

* * *

_Persephone - Eavesdown Docks_

Despite the name, the Eavesdown Docks weren't actually docks at all. At least not in the traditional sense. The docks were based on the outskirts of the biggest metropolis on Persephone and all ships coming in from off-world were required to check in there before heading out to the rest of the planet. For this reason, the docks were never empty of ships and were constantly flooded with masses of people from all walks of life. Vendors shouted their wares to everyone that would listen and crewmen hunted through the crowd in search of passengers for their ships. It was nothing short of chaos, but Roy looked on it as the _good_ kind of chaos. The kind without gunshots.

Hughes brought Serenity in smoothly, touching down right in the middle of the docks with only a small jolt. The door of the cargo hold opened wide, releasing the crew into the warm, windy air.

"This shouldn't take too long," Roy said to the rest of the crew, tucking a gun into his belt. "Hughes, you can put us down for departure in three hours. And grab some supplies while you're at it, will you?"

Hughes nodded in agreement and returned to the hold for the quad while Roy looked around for Winry. "It's up to you to find us some passengers," he told her. "Shouldn't be tough here. Just be friendly and make sure they have money. Winry, are you listening?"

Winry snapped her eyes away from the huge, shiny ship sitting next to them and nodded. "Yeah, I got it."

Roy took her arm and turned her to face him. "And please, please, _please_ don't go helping other people fix their ships. And if you absolutely must, make sure they ruttin' _pay_ you!"

The girl nodded slowly, fingering the wrench on her tool belt. "What if I traded my services for an extra compression coil?" she said brightly. "We could use a new one--!"

"_No_, no trade!" Roy said firmly. "Money. Cash and coin. Something that can be split with the crew. Don't make me get on my knees and beg."

"Fine," Winry muttered and sank onto a folding chair beside Serenity. Behind her, Ling popped out of the hold with a scimitar slung over his shoulder.

"Oh no," Roy said instantly. "You are _not_ taking that relic!"

"Don't worry," Ling assured him, tapping his hip. "I have a gun as a backup."

"You shouldn't even have that sword as a backup! Put the _gorram _thing back in your room!"

Ling whipped the sword up, holding the tip an inch from Roy's nose. "Make me."

Riza barely got there in time to restrain the captain from tackling him. "Sir, he's as good with that sword as I am with a gun," she said soothingly. "And I assure you none of Greed's men knows how to defend themselves against a real blade."

Roy took some deep breaths and counted to ten in his head. Slowly. "Fine, you can bring it. Damn pirate…"

Hughes drove the quad out of Serenity's hold, took one look at the way Riza was holding Roy and grinned wickedly. "You're off to a great start! Might want to let _him_ be on top though!"

Unfortunately Roy heard him that time and pushed away from Riza quickly. "I will _burn_ you," he growled at the pilot.

Hughes zoomed off into the crowd with an enthusiastic wave over his shoulder. Roy motioned curtly for Riza and Ling to follow him in the other direction. It was time to pay Greed a visit and hopefully weasel a decent price out of the stingy bastard.


	3. The Trouble With Civilization

Chapter Three - The Trouble With Civilization

"What's so damn important about being proper? It don't mean a thing out here in the black."  
--Kaylee

Even at first glance, Winry could tell this man hadn't done much traveling. For one, he was overpacked with a bag in each hand and a third larger one hanging by a strap slung across his chest. He was also a native of the border planets, if the dark skin and the tribal tattoo tracing up his arm from wrist to bicep were anything to go by. Perhaps he had come to Persephone in search of work. Unfortunately, the Core planets preferred money and connections over any real skill, which often left many men and women stranded and searching for a way home with what scant coins they had left.

The money issue would have turned off anyone else, but Winry found her heart going out to this man. She might have been in his place one day if Serenity had never set foot on her home world and picked her up. That gave her the courage to approach him with a winning smile.

"Need a lift?"

The man raised an eyebrow at her cheerful tone and gave both her and Serenity a once over. Winry tried her absolute best not to stare at the huge, white scar on his forehead and just kept smiling.

"No."

Winry's mouth dropped open when he turned his back on her and started walking away. "Wha--hey, wait a minute!"

The scarred man looked back, but didn't stop walking. "I said no, Miss."

Winry abandoned her post and ran up to him. "But you're clearly looking for a transport! And you can see by the size of our ship that our fare won't be ridiculously high, unlike _some_ of these blood-sucking captains."

He waved a hand at Serenity. "I also know a scam when I see one."

"_Excuse_ me?!"

"I don't have the money to waste on a ship that'll break down the moment we take off," he explained impatiently. "Nor do I wish to have the price of transport doubled halfway through the journey just so you can afford the repairs and upgrades. Trust me, I know that kind of ship and the kind of crew that lives on it."

Winry seized the bag strap on his chest and hauled him around so she could glare at him properly. The scarred man blinked down at her, taken aback by this show of strength.

"Let me tell _you_ something, _sir!_" Winry snapped. "You don't know a _gorram _thing about me _or_ about Serenity! Just what gives you the right to assume you know everything about us and how we live? Maybe it hadn't occurred to you that we don't make a lot of money and are hoping to earn a little spare change by being a reliable transport for passengers and--and--and I don't even _want_ you on my ship anymore! Go right ahead and spend all your money on those fancy rockets over there! Because you know what? An overpriced ride with an equally overrated crew is _exactly_ what you deserve!"

With that, she dropped back into her chair, arms crossed and foot tapping the dusty road irritably. When the scarred man continued to watch her, Winry blew a strand of hair out of her face and looked the other way. That jerk was probably waiting for her to come crawling over to apologize and beg for his business, but he wouldn't be getting any of that from her. The Rockbell women had their pride!

A shadow crossed over her and Winry squinted up at the scarred man in annoyance. "Aren't you gone yet?"

"You're the captain of this ship?"

Winry shook her head. "Mechanic."

"Interesting. I apologize for insulting you. I've never met a mechanic so defensive about her ship that she would turn away a customer."

"Now you've met one," Winry grumbled. "Are you planning to start walking soon? You're scaring away the paying customers."

"What paying customers?"

Winry rose up to her full height, which only came up to the man's collarbone, and poked him right in the chest. "You're really starting to piss me off! You have no business here anymore--!"

"Not even if I want a ride after all?"

Winry eyed him up and down, torn between telling him to bugger off and just taking his money. People weren't exactly lining up to board Serenity, even for such a short journey.

"Why should I accept your money after the way you insulted me?" Winry sniffed. "Can you even afford our fare?"

"I don't have much cash," the scarred man admitted. "I expected to spend hours bargaining a captain down and then paying part of my way in manual labor. But I think I'd prefer to fly with someone who's passionate about keeping the ship in the sky. Whether your skill goes as far as your mouth remains to be seen…"

"It _does!_"

"But if you were willing to cut the fare to what I can afford, I might have something extra in it for you."

Winry hung back when he set his bags down and unzipped the largest one. No wonder it looked so heavy. It was filled to the brim with handwritten manuscripts written in a language she had never seen. But beside the manuscripts was something Winry recognized very well. The man lifted a large toolbox out of the bag and set it on the ground, motioning for her to open it.

The moment she lifted the lid, Winry nearly passed out. They weren't just tools, they were _good_ tools! _Excellent_ tools! Nothing like the rusted wrenches she had brought with her aboard Serenity. _These_ were clearly crafted from quality steel that was polished until she could see her reflection. There were wrenches that actually _adjusted_ to different sizes, sheers made to cut live wires without conducting electricity, screwdrivers that rotated at the push of a button and all kinds of wonderful things that Roy wouldn't have let her buy in a million years!

Winry looked up from the tools. "Are you trying to _bribe_ me?"

The rude man gave her a small smile. "Let's consider this the second half of my payment. I'll pay you as much as I can afford in coin. And if your ship takes me from here to Boros without any engine trouble, these tools are yours to keep. I'll even let you use them on the way."

Winry ran her hands over the tools reverently, just _itching_ to take them back to Serenity's engine room. Even now she could think of a dozen miniature problems that she could finally _fix_ now that she had the right tools…

"Well?"

"Oh, yes!" Winry cried belatedly. "You have yourself a deal! But don't think you're forgiven for badmouthing Serenity! I just really need these tools and you really need a ride. Like my captain says, we don't have to like each other to do business."

"Shiny," the man said curtly and picked up his bags again. Winry showed him up the ramp into the hold, clutching the toolbox to her chest. She wasn't about to let those out of her sight for a second.

Now she just had to keep them hidden from Roy…

"Oh, and speaking of the captain! Let's just keep the second part of the transaction to ourselves, shall we? No need to bother him with all the little details!"

"He won't approve of you cutting the price, will he?"

"Like I said…details."

* * *

Here on Persephone, hidden beneath the hustle and bustle of civilization, there existed an underworld of crooks and smugglers. The ordinary folk pretended not to see it, but it was there all the same. Greed was just one of the many "businessmen" with a stake in this society and, while not the most well-known, he could certainly be counted as one of the most lucrative.

And the best thing about him was that he could never have enough. Greed could always be counted on to take in any goods for any price, only to turn around and sell it off-world for ten times what he paid within a few hours. If an Alliance raid were to bust into the Devil's Nest that day, they would find no illegally salvaged goods. Only a whole lot of money with no real excuse for how it got there, save for Greed's vague statement that his business was "doing good".

But even the greedy had their limits.

"What do you mean you won't take it?" Roy said evenly. "We had a deal."

Greed just leaned back on the threadbare couch with a grin, setting his feet on the low table between them. "Deal's off. You got careless and let yourself be seen. I'm not going near those goods with a ten-foot pole."

Riza stepped forward, prompting some of Greed's men to put their hands to their guns. "What's this really about? You've taken in Alliance-marked packages from us before."

"Only when the Alliance was too inept to ID who took it," Greed replied. "Like I said, _you_ were careless. I hate to say it Flame, but you're losing your touch. Should've become an alchemist of the State when you had the chance."

"If I had, you would be a whole lot less rich today," Roy informed him.

Greed laughed aloud at that. "Oh yeah? You _really _think your work is that important to me?"

He rose up and circled the table to face Roy directly. Ling's hand tightened on the hilt of his sword and Riza's fingers twitched beside her gun. Both were prepared for some kind of showdown, but Greed made no move against their captain.

"I've got news for you," Greed said derisively. "You're not a colonel anymore. You're not even an alchemist. You've set yourself and your crew up as scavengers and that's all you strive to be. Now me? I may be an underworld businessman _now, _but one day I _will _have much, much more. And I figured out a long time ago that I won't get there by depending on a single source of income."

Greed leaned closer, getting right in Roy's face. "So listen well when I tell you this, Mustang. You and your crew? You--can--be--_replaced._"

Roy shut his eyes for a brief moment and when he looked up, he was smiling. "Well what do you know?" he murmured. "You're far closer to the Alliance than I'll ever be."

Greed's grin slipped a little.

"That was their belief throughout the war," Roy said quietly. "That anyone that falls could be replaced. But the moment you tell someone they don't matter is the moment they stop trying. You've fallen back on us so many times in the past and we came through because we knew you could be trusted to keep your end. But now? If you turn us away…well, I guarantee you won't see us again. We have other options too."

Of course that was a flat out lie, but Greed didn't need to know that. Greed stepped back and Roy had to give him credit for keeping his face neutral. But the patronizing attitude was gone.

"You're the one who stands to lose more from cutting ties with me," Greed said slowly.

Roy stood his ground. Greed was trying to pull him back into the deal, but he wasn't planning on taking the bait. "Like you said, we both have other options. I don't mind parting ways."

"I do!" Ling exclaimed, enraged. "Captain, this _scum_ made a deal with us! Are we gonna let him walk out on it?!"

"Take it easy," Roy said sharply, but it was too late. Greed turned his attention on the hotheaded Ling and his smirk was anything but friendly.

"You got a problem with how I conduct my affairs, boy?"

"I have problems with you in general," Ling snapped. "We risked our _lives_ for this cargo. We're not walking out of here without some kind of payment!"

"_Ling_," Roy muttered. "Stop _talking_, damn it."

"But Captain--!"

Riza put a hand on Ling's arm, getting his attention. "The captain gave you an order," she said flatly.

Ling threw Greed a look of pure disgust. He looked about ready to run everybody through with his sword, but at least he was finally holding his tongue. He was a lot younger than Roy and had yet to understand the full nature of these kinds of deals. Greed _wanted_ them to beg and plead for him to take the goods for whatever measly price he offered.

What Greed failed to understand was that Roy would rather take another buyer for less money than keep his crew dependent on such a ruthless man. They didn't work for Greed, nor anyone else. Losing money was better than losing freedom because it was much easier to get the former back.

Besides, much as Roy hated to admit it, Greed had another card up his sleeve. He knew Roy was an alchemist. Not only that, he knew who Roy had fought for in the war. He had connections on every world, even with the Alliance, and he could turn Roy in for a substantial amount if he so chose. Roy just happened to be more valuable to Greed and his associates up in the stars rather than buried in the ground.

"Good seeing you again, Greed," Roy said flatly. "We'll be on our way."

Greed gave him a mock salute and dropped back on the couch with scowl. "May the money you spend find its way into my pocket…_Colonel _Mustang."

Greed's people escorted them out of the Devil's Nest and through the dark, twisting alleys to the Docks. Only then did they leave, melting back into the shadows without a sound. Roy watched them go uneasily. There was something strange about the way they moved. Something _animalistic_…

Ling kicked up some road dust angrily, sheathing his sword with a snap. "Why didn't we _do_ something?! _He's_ the one who broke the deal, _he_ was in the wrong!"

"Technically we're _all_ in the wrong," Roy said jadedly.

Riza moved up to walk on Ling's other side. "He had the upper hand. Our buyers always do. You just have to learn to accept that."

"We should have left him in a pool of his own blood," Ling said darkly, showing a ruthless side that Roy rarely saw.

"You would rather kill a potential buyer and get in trouble with his associates than look for another buyer," Roy stated sardonically. "Yes, that makes _much_ more sense…"

"It's dishonorable to walk away! _ And_ to let monsters like him walk the worlds with the rest of us mortals…"

Roy held out his arm, stopping the boy in his tracks. "Where's the dishonor in making sure our comrades stay fed and safe?"

Ling just shook his head mutely. Roy led the way through the crowd back in the direction of Serenity. "Okay, brainstorm. Who else do we have to go to?"

"Sir," Riza said with care. "I think I know who we can go to. There's a good chance Dante may need--"

"No," Roy growled. "We're _not_ going to that bitch. Have you forgotten what she did to me?"

"Sir, we've all been shot at one time or another…"

Roy rounded on her. "In the _ass_, Hawkeye?!"

"I'd like to see Dante again," Ling said, suddenly cheerful again. "She's got spunk for an old lady!"

"She can afford what we have and she just might need it," Riza said rationally. "She owns pretty much all of Whitefall now, there are people counting on her."

"True," Roy said reluctantly. "But…_God_, I hate her so much. I'll think about it."

He ignored the look that passed between Ling and Riza. Those two knew him too well. Dante really was a good choice, despite Roy's personal vendetta for that ignoble wound two years ago that left him bedridden with Riza as his strict nursemaid. And he had thought the war was hell…

Serenity came into view and Roy spotted Winry welcoming several passengers on board. That was good news. The extra income would be welcome. He strode up to her and the mechanic proudly handed off the pouch containing the payment from the passengers.

"See?" Winry said smugly. "Nothing to it!"

"So what are their names?" Roy inquired, scrutinizing each of their faces.

Winry pointed out the dark-skinned man leaning against the outside of the ship, head tilted up toward the sun. "I'm not sure what his real name is, but he wants to be called Scar."

Roy shot her a look. "He wouldn't tell you his name? What made you think it was safe to let him board?"

Winry quickly pointed out the second passenger and went on in a loud voice. "And _that's_ Mr. Dawson! He's a really nice guy, real polite! Oh and there's a third, but he's already inside I think…"

"Will you be _careful_ with that?!"

The loud, anxious voice came from Serenity's hull and Roy's eyes narrowed. He entered the hull, prepared to deal with whoever was harassing his crew, and blinked in surprise. The third passenger was a teenager, and a short one at that. Hughes was in the middle of stowing some giant white crate while the teen ran around in circles frantically, his bright gold braid swinging back and forth.

"Hey, chill out!" Hughes said with a friendly grin. "I'm gonna tie it down nice and secure, you don't have to worry about a thing."

"Right, but just be _careful_! I've got a lot of equipment in there, it can't be jostled around!"

Roy strode up until he stood directly behind the teen. "My crew doesn't _jostle things around_, kid. They're trained professionals who won't stand for that kind of talk."

The teen whirled around and golden eyes examined Roy critically. "I'm not a _kid_. I'm fifteen."

"From the way you were acting, I could have sworn you were twelve," Roy retorted coolly.

The teen's face grew red and he ground his teeth, barely reigning in what was clearly a very short temper. Roy crossed his arms and glared right back. If this kid decided he was going to be a pain in the ass, Roy would have no problem whatsoever grabbing him by that ridiculous braid and throwing him out the airlock. _After_ they took off.

Winry popped up at the teen's shoulder. "Let's not get off on the wrong foot! We'll all be living together for a few days, so _please_…let's get along?"

Roy's eyes flickered between the two of them and the covetous look Winry cast the teen told part of the story. The rest was explained when Roy shook the boy's hand and felt the cold press of steel beneath the white glove. Automail. Winry had been an automail mechanic before Serenity and was probably eager for a chance to work on it again. Roy actually had a moment of pity for the poor kid.

"I'm Captain Roy Mustang," Roy said finally. "Welcome aboard."

"Edward Elric," the teen said curtly. As soon as Roy released his hand he snatched up his bags, moving back to stand by the white crate.

"He said no one else would take him on," Winry said sadly, looking after him. "Because of all his stuff. He's a medical alchemist, isn't that amazing? I bet he's heading out to the border worlds to help people."

"He's a spoiled brat," Roy said conclusively. "Probably getting sent out by too-rich parents wanting to give him some 'real world' experience."

Winry threw him a withering look and stomped off in Ed's direction. He looked a little lost when she struck up a conversation with him and Roy added _bad with girls_ to the list of character traits. But a medical alchemist…that meant he was registered with the State and technically a soldier. Roy would have to keep an eye on that one. If _he_ found the marked goods, they really would be in hot water.

He checked around to make sure the passengers were occupied before opening the bag to count up the money. Riza leaned against one of the crates beside him, keeping her eyes on the passengers.

"And now we have a boatful of citizens," Riza muttered. "Right on top of our _stolen_ cargo."

"It's hidden," Roy said vaguely. The coins in the bag weren't adding up. Had he counted wrong? Or…no, _surely_ not…

"It still makes me nervous," Riza sighed. "If someone finds it, we'll have problems and I hate threatening honest people. Captain…?"

Roy dumped all of the coins into his hand and sorted through them. "There's not enough! How the hell…?"

He raised his head and noticed Winry leaning over to pick up a giant toolbox. One Roy was positive he hadn't seen before. Winry straightened up and paled at the look Roy was giving her. The mechanic spun around and jogged away as quickly as the heavy toolbox would allow.

"_Damn it, Winry!_"


	4. Good Company

Chapter Four - Good Company

"You don't fix faith, River. It fixes you."  
--Sheppard Book

"And irresponsible doesn't even _begin_ to cover this, Winry!" Roy shouted over the noise in the engine room. "Bribery is just one step away from treachery, or haven't I told you that enough? _ Are you even listening?!_"

"Loud and clear!" Winry hollered from underneath the spinning engine. "But I'm _trying_ to concentrate here! If you keep talking, we'll fall right out of the sky and not even these tools will be able to get us off Persephone!"

The ship rocked violently and Winry grinned when she heard Roy trip over something and crash to the floor. Served him right. She tightened up some parts and looked out to see him sprawled out all over the new tools. "Hand me that, will you?"

Roy grabbed the shears digging into his back and tossed them at her with a scowl. "I understand you have a passion for machines, but you're not the only one getting paid here. Did it occur to you that Riza could use the money for some new guns? Or that Ling could finally buy _a_ gun? And Hughes could…could…"

"Buy a camera?" Winry suggested. "He's been talking about taking pictures of all of us…"

She cut away a frayed wire and dozens of alarms went off. Maybe takeoff wasn't the most _opportune _time to be making these types of repairs, but the mechanic had learned early on to use whatever time she had. There was just no telling when something else would come up.

"_Winry!_" Hughes bellowed through the intercom. "_Why are my gauges telling me there's no port engine?!_"

"What?!" Roy yelped. "When did we lose the port engine?!"

"We _didn't!_" Winry yelled. "I just took out the wire that lets you control the port engine, that's all."

"_Oh_…_wait, isn't that still a bad thing?_"

"Well, give me a _minute!_" Winry said impatiently. "Jeez!"

She snapped the new wire in place and tightened up some parts with her new screwdrivers. The alarms faded and Serenity's flight smoothed out. Winry slithered out from underneath the engine and Roy got back up on his feet shakily, picking up one of the wrenches to wave in her face.

"These are _not_ cash!" Roy said loudly. "We have more important things to buy than some fancy gadgets for you to play around with! And on top of that--!"

The computers beeped. "_Now leaving atmo._"

Roy paused, looking around in amazement. "…that…that was the _smoothest_ takeoff we've had in months."

Winry took the wrench from his hand and slung it over her shoulder with a cheeky grin. "What was that you were saying about only me benefiting from these fancy gadgets?"

"_She's got a point, Roy,_" Hughes pointed out. "_That was one badass takeoff. You know, once we got over the whole 'missing the port engine' thing_."

Roy sucked in a deep breath as if to start yelling again, but ended up letting it all go in an exasperated sigh. "Fine, you win this round. But I don't want _any_ more complaints about not having the right tools for at least six months, hear me? And no more griping about wanting brand new parts either!"

"Fine," Winry replied, allowing herself a pleased grin. "I think I can manage that."

Roy took one last look around the engine room and shook his head ruefully. Probably eating his own words, Winry thought in delight.

"By the way," Roy called, "before you start tinkering in here, go find your halfmetal boyfriend and get him to the dining area. I've still got to lay down the ground rules for all the civilians."

"Sure," Winry replied. She knelt down to nestle her new tools back in their little compartments in the toolbox.

"_Now_."

Winry threw her hands in the air. "Fine, I'm going! And he has a _name_, Captain! A very _good_ name!"

Roy just waved a hand dismissively as he vanished around the corner. Winry stomped out of the engine room after him. Really, would it kill him to be a little nicer to people? _This_ was why they had so much trouble getting paid for their jobs!

And where _was_ Edward? Winry searched all the passenger dorms and found his bags inside one, but no alchemist. A quick round of the common areas turned up nothing and she was fairly certain he had no reason to be in the bridge. So that left the cargo hold. Winry made her way to the cavernous room and was surprised when a faint voice reached her ears. She stepped around the white crate Ed had brought on board to find him sitting against it with his arms wrapped around his legs and his head tilted back. He looked so much younger like that, like a lost child.

"Who are you talking to?"

Ed scrambled to his feet and his flippant laugh sounded a little too strained to be real. "Talking? I wasn't talking! I mean I _was_, but not to anyone else! I-I just--!"

Winry ran her hand over the lid of the crate with a slow smile. "Were you…talking to your alchemy equipment?"

Ed gulped. "Um, well…"

"It's okay, I do it too!" Winry laughed. "I talk to Serenity _all_ the time, especially when I'm worried about something breaking. It's nothing to be embarrassed about, okay?"

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess. Uh, did you need something?"

Winry jerked her thumb over her shoulder. "The captain wants all the passengers in the dining area. You know, to lay out the rules and stuff."

Ed's smile slipped as he fell in step with her. "Oh…"

The mechanic led the way up the stairs to the catwalk, throwing a friendly wave over her shoulder. "Oh, don't look like that! He's not going to bite your head off."

Ed nodded doubtfully, his eyes still down on the crate below them. "Hey, can I ask you something about him? Is he…does he have a thing against alchemists?"

Winry paused. "Well…not _all_ alchemists…"

Ed gave her a wry look. "So it's just me? Great…"

"No, that's not what I meant at all!" Winry said quickly. "I guess you could say that he doesn't like alchemists who work for the Alliance, that's all."

"But you can't _be_ an alchemist unless you work for the State," Ed said in confusion. "Ever since the war, it's been that way."

Winry was spared from answering when the door to Rose's shuttle slid open behind her. Ed looked over her shoulder and his eyes went wide. Winry barely stifled a chuckle. Rose tended to have that effect on young men, what with her exotic looks and even more exotic attire. Winry liked Rose a great deal, but always felt a little overshadowed when standing beside her in stained overalls.

"Hello, Winry," Rose said happily, striding up them. "And who is this? A passenger?"

"Yes," Winry told her. "Rose, this is Edward. He's going to be with us until we reach Boros. Ed, Rose."

"Hi," Ed stammered, holding out his hand. He changed his mind and held out his left hand instead.

Winry rolled her eyes and pulled his right hand up again. "Don't be so self-conscious! No one here cares if you have automail."

Rose closed both her hands around Ed's with a sad look. "Automail? At your age? I've never met someone with automail who wasn't old enough to have been in the war."

"Uh huh," Ed said quietly, touching his right shoulder. "Happened in some petty conflict on my home world. Left leg is the same. So you're part of the crew too?"

Rose shook her head. "Not really. I just rent the shuttle out. It's an easy way to reach my clients on so many different worlds."

Ed looked to Winry for clarification. "Clients?"

Winry grinned. If just looking at Rose had embarrassed him, what would his reaction be to her trade? "Take a good look, Edward. You're shaking hands with a bonafide Companion!"

It took a moment for the word to sink in and then Ed's whole face went very, very red. "By C-Companion, you mean…?"

"A very pretty whore! What'd you think she meant?"

Winry shot an angry look down at Ling, who was sitting cross-legged on the white crate. "Ling! Don't insult her!"

"Oh, she knows I didn't mean it!" Ling snorted. He waved at Rose. "Welcome back, babe!"

"Hey, get off of that!" Ed shouted, bracing his hands against the railing.

Ling rapped his knuckles against the lid of the crate. "What've you got in here anyway? This thing is twice as big as you! How do you expect to move it once you're on Boros?"

"What I do with it is my business!" Ed snapped. "Get the hell _off_ it!"

"Come down here and _make_ me, shrimp!"

"_Who're you calling a--?!_"

"_Hey!_"

Roy looked around at them all from the doorway below Winry and Ed. One sharp glance in Ling's direction was enough to make him abandon his seat on the crate and Roy's next glare was reserved for Winry. "Does this look like the dining hall to you?" he said sternly.

"We were _getting_ there," Winry grumbled.

"By the way, Mustang," Ed said loudly. "If you've got something to say, then come talk to _me_. Don't send your people to fetch me."

Roy's eyes flashed dangerously. "Fine. First of all, you're not allowed to be down here. The cargo bay, bridge and engine room are all off limits to passengers."

"What?" Ed exclaimed. "But I have stuff down here--!"

"No one's about to walk in here and steal that damn crate," Roy said in a clipped tone. "That I can assure you. Also, we're taking a detour to Whitefall before we hit Boros, so be prepared to endure my company for another day or two."

"Detour?" Ed said slowly. "Why the detour?"

"Because we exist to make your life miserable," Ling snickered. "Ain't that obvious?"

With that, Roy and Ling stepped out of the door and Ed excused himself to go stomping off in anger. Winry caught Rose's eye and sighed. "Men."

"Yes," Rose agreed. "Men, indeed."

* * *

Ed spent the next few hours doing his level best to avoid running into Roy. Not an easy task on a ship this small. It seemed like every turn he made brought him right back to the room he had left, which drew odd stares from the crew who had just seen him go. By the time Ed figured out the best places to avoid the captain, it was time for dinner and they were back in close proximity. But at least the bastard was four whole seats away from him, sitting across the table with his second-in-command and the pilot. Riza and Hughes, were they called? Ling and that Dawson guy were there as well, but Ed had yet to meet the third passenger and Rose was also absent.

And Winry was right next to him. Ed didn't have a clue why that made him so nervous. Especially when, of all the people on this ship, she had actually been the nicest to him.

Maybe it was the fact that she _could not stop_ asking about his automail.

"So what kinds of metal are they constructed from? Usually it's best to make them of a blend of steel and some other metal, but that really depends on the individual person and how much weight they can tolerate on those joints."

"Uh, I think it's steel," Ed said slowly, racking his brains. "Just steel. I don't remember them talking about any other kinds of metal."

"What about the joints?" Winry pressed. "Do you have full range of motion with both your arm and leg? I noticed you were limping a little and it might have something to do with your knee being too stiff. You have to keep that part oiled really well, same with the shoulder. When was the last time you had a maintenance check?"

"They didn't really go over that with me," Ed mumbled, unnerved by how this girl could make him want to shrink into his seat without even trying.

"Didn't go over it?!" Winry demanded. "Didn't you get any follow-up care?"

"Well I had stuff to do! The surgery took long enough without the recovery time--!"

"If you had _taken_ that time, maybe you would be moving around a lot better now! Your muscles are all out of balance because you didn't rest up properly! _And--!_"

Across the table, Riza cleared her throat. "Let him eat, Winry. He's barely touched his food."

Ling smirked. "Yeah, he needs his nutrients if he's gonna get any taller."

"I _am_ tall!" Ed snapped. "Tall enough to break your face!"

Roy set his silverware down loudly. "Ling, quit antagonizing the alchemist and let me finish my protein in peace. You too, Winry."

That shut them up. Ed went back to his own meal, picking at his food without much interest. He should have just avoided dinner altogether. The food wasn't even that good. How was he supposed to survive on nothing but protein until Boros?

"So, you're a medical alchemist?" Hughes said with a smile. "And at fifteen, too. It must have taken a lot of effort to get a position like that so young. I bet your parents are very proud!"

Ed shrugged uncomfortably. "Um, kind of…"

"Was it your parents that sent you out here?" Roy put in.

Ed looked up. "What?"

"Your parents," Roy repeated tersely. "I've heard of Core parents sending their children out to the border moons for weeks at a time. Gives them a chance to appreciate how good they have it so they don't get spoiled."

Ed scowled, shoulders stiffening under that dark gaze. Roy must _really_ hate alchemists if he would go out of his way to make every remark a confrontation. It wasn't like Ed _asked_ to be born in the Core or to have a natural affinity for alchemy.

Nor did he ask for the science he loved so much to be the very thing that ruined his life. But none of them would understand, even if he tried to explain.

"I'm here on my own," Ed muttered. "And I'm not going back either."

"Really," Roy said skeptically. "Even though on the Core planets, the yearly paycheck for medical alchemists is three times what this ship is worth."

"_Roy_," Hughes said in warning.

Roy folded his hands together and rested his chin on them, his gaze cold and calculating. "I'm just curious why someone with so many talents and opportunities would give it all up to come out here. People born in the Core tend not to leave…unless they're running from something."

Now _everyone_ was staring at him. Ed did his best not to squirm under their gazes, but he still felt horribly exposed. And abruptly, he decided that he didn't need this. He snatched up his plate and rose to his feet.

Winry gave him an imploring look. "Edward…"

"What I do with my life is none of your _gorram_ business," Ed grumbled at the captain. "So just stay out of it."

He strode out of the dining area without another word, hearing quiet murmurs follow him. As soon as he was out of sight, he changed directions and headed for the cargo hold. He didn't give a damn that it was off limits or that it was probably coldest place on the ship and would make his automail ache.

At least the company would be more pleasant.

* * *

Rose found the third passenger hiding away in his bunk. Scar, Winry had called him. No one seemed to have much to say about him as he had retreated back here almost as soon as they took off. He hadn't even come up for dinner. Rose hated to see other people seclude themselves from company, which was what brought her down to his door with two full plates balanced on her arm. The door slid open slowly when she knocked and a gaunt face looked out at her, deep red eyes narrowed in thought.

"You didn't come up for dinner," Rose said kindly, holding out a plate. "So I thought I would bring you something."

"T-Thank you," Scar muttered. "But you didn't need to go to the trouble."

"It's no trouble! Would you like some company? I haven't eaten yet either."

He hesitated as he took the plate from her hand, looking her up and down, and suddenly his eyes widened in comprehension. "You're not here looking for…a _customer_, are you?" he said sternly.

Rose's heart fell. "No, of course not! I just thought you might like someone to talk to. Just because I'm a Companion, I can't be nice to you?"

Scar blinked. "You sound like that mechanic. Are you two related?"

"No, just good friends," Rose admitted. "May I come in?"

He couldn't seem to decide at first, hovering in the doorway with dozens of thoughts whirling behind his eyes. For a moment, Rose thought he would stand aside and let her in. But in the end Scar shook his head. "No…thank you. I'd prefer to be alone."

The door shut in her face gently and Rose hung her head at the rejection. It shouldn't bother her so much. She barely even _knew_ this man, so she had no reason to feel so sad. But still…as much as she loved her friends on Serenity, Rose longed for a different kind of family. Not just blood relatives, but a _culture_, an entire group of people that she could rightly name as _her_ people. In Scar's eyes, she had seen a similar longing and hoped they could find solace in each other's company.

But that was proven to be wishful thinking.

The door opened. Rose looked up, startled to see the scarred man before her again. "Are you Ishvalan?" he asked suddenly.

Rose shook her head. "Part. My people used to live on Ishval in my grandmother's time."

"I see. I wondered…your dark skin…"

"I was born on Lior," Rose explained. "But our religion took a different path from yours. We worshiped the sun god, Leto."

"And you still do."

Scar lifted a pendant from her chest, running his thumb over the tarnished crest of Leto. Rose never took that pendant off. Her husband had given it to her only two days before their home was ravaged by civil war. "We're the same," he murmured. "At least, we worship the same god."

Rose tilted her head. "You mean Leto?"

"Either way. Whether you say Leto or Ishval doesn't really matter. We use different names, different relics, different rituals. But in the end it's all the same, isn't it? God is not the one who is different. We are."

And Rose had to smile, fingering the pendant. "You know, I've never heard someone say it like that. I was always told that those who didn't worship Leto were in the wrong. It wasn't until I left Lior that I realized _everyone_ had a different god they prayed to. That didn't seem right to me."

"Nor me," Scar said wryly. "It was my brother who taught me to think like that. To see everyone has human beings, not split them between Ishvalans and outsiders. Which is why I think I must apologize for shutting you out. I was in the wrong."

Rose smiled in reassurance as Scar stood aside to let her enter the little room. "It's alright. And here I was thinking it was just my profession that made you uncomfortable…"

Scar grunted in discomfort as he sank down on the bed and picked up his plate. "Well, that was partly it. Your profession is seen as a sin in my culture."

"Mine as well," Rose said quietly, taking a seat on the only chair in the room. "But let's just say my people had fallen on hard times. It was this or starve to death at the time."

Scar looked up at those words, confusion written all over his face. "But…if it was your only choice at the time, surely by now you would be able to move on?"

Rose ducked her head, wishing he would look elsewhere. "Not really. I never had a real job before this. What could a widowed housewife hope to become without any other skills to her name?"

Silence reigned in the bunk, only broken by the quiet clinking of silverware. Rose ate her dinner mechanically and wondered if she should just leave. Even this uneasy peace didn't seem much better than the awkward avoidance before.

"A cook."

Rose nearly dropped her fork. "What?"

Scar shrugged and helped himself to another bland mouthful. "Be a cook. You cooked for your family, didn't you? Most wives and mothers I knew could cook circles around whoever made _this_, even with bad ingredients. And it would be a step up to be in a profession where you could respect yourself…"

"And you think I _don't_ respect myself?" Rose demanded.

Scar looked at her, startled by her reaction. "I-I don't…it's been a long time since I spoke to anyone so kind. I'm not used to catering my words to suit other people's feelings."

Rose stood up quickly, her hands clenched at her sides. "Well _get_ used to it! Talking so carelessly is not going to make you any friends here _or_ on Boros!"

Scar's mouth dropped open, his fork frozen halfway between the plate and his mouth. Rose waited patiently for an apology so she could sit back down and they could keep eating in peace.

"Are you sure you and the mechanic aren't sisters?"

Rose gathered up her skirt and marched out of the bunk primly, shutting the door behind her with a snap. And it didn't hit her until she was back in her shuttle that she had left her dinner behind.


	5. Going Mad

Chapter Five - Going Mad

"This must be what going mad feels like."  
--Simon

"_Roy, you might want to get up here._"

Roy had his suspicions the moment he heard those words over the intercom. The feeling only grew worse in the seconds it took him to reach the bridge, where he found Hughes hunched over the controls and raking his hands through his hair.

"We're screwed," Hughes hissed. "God, we are _so_ screwed. Someone went on the cortex and hailed the nearest Alliance cruiser!"

"Who?" Roy demanded. "Who did this?!"

"Hell if I know! I scrambled it, but they got a pin on us for sure!"

Roy swore explosively and paced around and around the bridge, just _itching_ to punch something. Or some_one_. There was no way any of the crew would sell them out. Everyone was too closely knit for that. Not even Rose would turn on them willingly. So that left the three people who _weren't_ part of the crew. And of those three, Roy knew _exactly_ who he was banking his money on.

"I know who did this," Roy said curtly.

"You do?" Hughes said in surprise. "Wait Roy, you're not thinking--!"

Roy didn't wait to hear what Hughes had to say. He turned right around and took off with Hughes half a step behind him. "Wait! _Gorram_ it, _wait_ Roy! We don't know anything for sure!"

Roy halted in the dining area where Ling, Riza and Winry were playing cards at the table. "Where's the alchemist?!"

"Like we know," Ling replied. "Something the matter?"

Roy left without another word, barely registering when the three of them abandoned their game to follow him down the stairs to the passenger dorms.

"Roy, he's just a kid!" Hughes exclaimed.

Roy shoved open the doors of all the dorms, ignoring the death glare Scar gave him, and still found no blond kid. "And a State Alchemist!" he retorted. "There's no way he didn't have the money to afford a better ship than ours, which means he chose us for a reason. He's here for the cargo!"

"What are you talking about?!" Winry demanded. "Edward picked us because no one else would take him in!"

"They knew better," Roy growled.

The cargo hold was next and the door was locked tight. The rest of the crew and Scar gathered up behind Roy to look through the tiny window. There was Ed, just now shutting the lid on that mysterious white crate.

"Look, I'm sure this isn't what we think!" Winry said desperately. "He's probably just…just…"

"Setting up some kind of weapon to incapacitate us," Roy concluded darkly. "Or to take the ship under his control."

"I'll check the door on the upper level," Riza said, rushing off with gun in hand.

"I'll get my sword!" Ling cried in enthusiasm.

Roy snagged his arm to keep him from running off. "You'll use your fists! Listen up! Whatever that kid is up to will most likely involve alchemy, so if you see an array go off--"

"Oh God!" Winry cried, pointing at the window. "Oh God, _Edward!_"

Ed stood up quickly, looking up at the catwalk in horror. Dawson was inside the cargo hold with him, marching slowly down the stairs with a gun in one hand and a badge in the other.

"It's him," Hughes said in a hushed voice. "Roy, it's that Dawson guy! I wouldn't have even _guessed_, he was so low-key! Everyone knows the best moles are the quietest, least obtrusive people…"

"What's going on here?" Scar demanded. "Why are you people panicking about an Alliance agent being on the ship? Unless you've something very dangerous you're trying to hide…"

Roy pressed his hand to the door, unable to take his eyes off the scene unfolding beyond. "From the way this is going, I'd say Halfmetal is the one hiding something."

Ed shouted something at Dawson as he backed up to the crate, bracing his palms against it. Roy couldn't hear a word, but Ed's body language alone told the whole story. Whatever was in that crate was something he would die to protect. Dawson reached the bottom of the stairs, creeping ever closer every moment. Ed's eyes darted around, briefly passing over Roy's face in the window before returning to Dawson. All at once, Ed bent his knees and held up his fists in a clear challenge.

"That dumb kid," Roy whispered, peering up at the catwalk to see if Riza had gotten the other door open yet. "He's put us all at risk just by _being_ here--!"

He choked on his own words at the sight of third person inside the hold, standing up on the catwalk. But it wasn't Riza.

It was Rose.

"No," Winry moaned. "_No__! _ Rose, get out of there!"

"Hughes, get to the bridge!" Roy ordered. "Get the doors open!"

The pilot was already running long before he finished speaking and Roy went back to the window. Rose was running for the stairs now, having seen what was happening below. The nightmare didn't truly begin until she came up behind Dawson, startling him. The Alliance agent spun right around and fired, hitting Rose in the gut.

"_Rose!_" Winry screamed.

"Son of a _bitch!_" Ling exclaimed. "I'll kill him myself!"

Ed went utterly pale when Rose slumped down on the steps, clutching at the dark, bleeding hole in her stomach. Then his face twisted in rage and he rushed forward, bringing his hands together sharply. Alchemic light blinded the audience in the doorway and when Roy looked again, the plating on Ed's automail had extended into a blade as long as his forearm. Dawson brought his gun up, but one swipe from Ed's weapon sent it skidding across the floor. The kid wasted no time sending the agent after it with a swift kick to the head.

_No circles_, Roy thought, stunned. _That kid…he's got way more talent than he revealed. And more secrets._

Scar shoved him aside and pressed his right hand to the wood. To Roy's shock, the symbols on his arm lit up with the power of a transmutation. The deadly red light grew brighter and brighter until the metal door was blasted apart. Scar rushed through the doorway with Winry and Ling right on his heels, leaving a gaping Roy behind.

"_Why are there so many ruttin' alchemists on my ship?!_"

A second transmutation rocked the ship and steel walls sprang up from the floor around Dawson's unconscious body, trapping him in a huge metal box with only a few slits for air holes. Ed remained crouched on the floor with his shoulders trembling, all the fight gone from his small frame.

"Rose!" Winry sobbed, kneeling beside her friend. "_Rose!_"

Roy made for Ed, but Scar beat him to it. He seized the boy by the arm and hauled him to his feet, marching him over to Rose's side and pitching him down in a pool of blood.

"Save her," Scar growled. "Or I swear before God, I'll blow your skull open here and now."

The panicked look in Ed's eyes increased tenfold and Roy felt his heart falter. The boy had lied to them about so much already. Was him being a medical alchemist also a lie? Roy looked down on Rose with lungs that were iced over, paralyzed by the sight of her cloudy, pain-wracked eyes roving over her surroundings. She was so young, too young to die like this…

"_Roy,_" Hughes called over the intercom. "_We've been hailed by an Alliance cruiser. They're ordering us to stay on course and dock for prisoner transfer. What should I do?_"

Ed sucked in a breath at those words. He looked between the crate and Rose, who was quickly slipping into unconsciousness.

Roy looked up at the catwalk where Riza stood, her gun dangling from limp fingers. "Riza, tell Hughes to do what they say--"

"No!" Ed shouted. "No, there's no need for that. I-I can save her!"

Roy rounded on him in rage. "You think _that_ will buy you any mercy from us?! That cruiser is sure to have doctors that can help her. And as a bonus, we can say goodbye to _you_."

"They're lives don't depend on her survival!" Ed snarled. "I can tell…you're just _dying_ to put a bullet in my head, aren't you? But I can save her. I have a _reason_ to save her. They don't."

Roy understood _that_ all too well. If they ran to the Alliance, they had a fifty-fifty shot of actually getting help from them. And that would still take too much time, what with the docking and the prisoner transfer and the _gorram_ protocols they had to jump through.

"Turn him in," Ling said in a low voice. "We don't need help from someone like him. Someone who would play around with human life, like he thinks he's some kind of god."

Ed visibly flinched at those words, but held his ground. Roy's attention returned to Rose and the steadily growing blood pool beneath her still form. They had wasted so many minutes already.

"Captain?" Riza said softly. "What are your orders?"

Roy closed his eyes at the strain in her voice. Even now when he was wavering, she still found the courage to put her faith in him. It was the same with all of them. Hughes and Winry and Ling, all believing he would make the right decision.

Even when Roy didn't know what the right decision was.

"Change course," Roy said finally. "We're running."

Ed's whole frame slumped in relief and he transmuted the blade off his automail, barking out orders like he'd done it his entire life. "Help me get her to the infirmary! Someone go on ahead and ready whatever anesthetics you have! Go, _go!_"

Winry and Ling rushed away to get whatever he needed and Scar scooped Rose's small form into his arms to bear her out of the hold. Ed paused in the doorway, looking back at Roy.

"I don't trust you not to turn me in after this," Ed said flatly. "I'll tell you that right now. And if you decide to turn me in anyway…please, just don't let those bastards get their hands on that crate. _Please_."

Roy just watched him coldly. "I won't make promises that have a good chance of being broken."

Grief darkened the boy's expression, but it was swiftly replaced by a steely look. Ed turned on his heel and sprinted after the others, leaving Roy alone in an empty hold with the imprisoned Alliance agent and the white crate. Not to mention the three hidden crates that they had yet to get rid of.

And Roy had to wonder if there was any truth to the old saying after all.

_Bad luck follows the cargo…_

* * *

Ed hadn't been lying. He _was_ a medical alchemist, just not a very good one. Medical alchemy was fascinating and all, but he had only gone into it because the paycheck had promised to keep his family fed.

It was the alchemy itself that captivated him. Whether it was knitting together proteins to heal human flesh or morphing the atoms of his automail into a blade, Ed had love only for the science. For the gift that allowed so very few to break matter to its base elements and reconstruct it as they saw fit. Destroy and create. Create and destroy. Nothing lost, nothing gained. It was the most basic law of the universe, granting mere mortals a power that only gods were said to have.

But that was the problem. There was no god to guide his hands here, only his own, paltry abilities. Ed spent the hours during the surgery expecting Rose to die on the table, but she held through. He held off on using alchemy until he got the bullet out and then only used short bursts of power, healing flesh here and there and helping the blood to clot.

Every so often, Ed would catch sight of the crew watching him through the windows. Probably cursing him just as much as they were praying for his success. He brought his gloved hands together for the last time and channeled energy into the open wound, sealing it up completely. This was why alchemic doctors were so sought. Aside from anesthesia, no drugs or bandages were needed because the alchemist used materials already within the body to make repairs. But using alchemy on a human body drained energy from that same body and it would take Rose far longer to recover. She might not ever be as strong as she once was.

That was the price she would unwittingly pay for his mistakes. There was always a price to pay.

The door slid open once he finished and Roy looked in, still with that same icy glare. Ed stripped off the blood-soaked gloves and turned to the captain, lifting his chin in defiance. Now would be the moment of truth. He didn't know Roy well enough to predict whether he would be allowed to live or not, even after all his efforts.

"Will she live?"

"I don't know," Ed said in resignation. "But there's nothing else I can do. The rest is up to her."

Roy nodded. "Good enough. Then it's time we got to the bottom of this."

Ed barely had time to register those words before Roy was marching away. Toward the cargo hold.

"No!" Ed yelled. "Wait--!"

A sword dropped in front of his chest, blocking his way out the door.

"We have a right to know why Rose was almost killed," Ling informed him. "_You_ have no rights at all."

Ed smashed his nose in with his automail and went after Roy, ignorant of Ling's pained moans and Winry's stunned cry. He reached the cargo hold just in time to see Roy unlatching the lid of the white crate.

"Stop_. Don't you dare open that, you bastard!_"

Ed pulled back his bloodied fist to strike the captain, but a strong hand clamped around his wrist before he could. Scar held him back mutely as Roy looked Ed right in the eyes.

"Now we'll see what kind of person you are," Roy said murderously.

Roy kicked the lid, sending it skittering off the crate and crashing to the floor. And Ed's throat closed up. Yes, now they would see _exactly_ what kind of a person he was. They would learn just how much he was capable of destroying in a moment of pure weakness. His failure, his greed and his arrogance were all laid out right before their eyes.

His sin.

Inside the crate, shrouded by a curtain of mist, a pair of glowing red eyes looked out on the crew of Serenity.


	6. His Reason

Chapter Six - His Reason

"You gave up everything you had to find me. You found me broken."  
--River

No one in the cargo hold dared to move an inch. Roy in particular felt as if his mind had frozen over. The rest of the mist cleared from the crate slowly, revealing a huge metal…_thing_. It was humanoid in shape and the spiky shoulders and hulking arms didn't bode well for the safety of his crew. But the creature remained dormant, sitting upright with its legs pulled close to its body and hands limp at its sides. A dim, red glow from the eyeholes of the helmet was the only sign of activity.

"What is that?" Riza demanded. "A robot? A weapon?"

"It looks more like a suit of armor," Hughes said thoughtfully. "One of those ancient ones from Earth That Was. Or at least it's a damn good replica."

Ed broke free of Scar's hold and moved to stand before the white crate, holding his arms out. "This has nothing to do with any of you!"

"I beg to differ," Roy said quietly. "You put us all at risk for the sake of this thing and I want to know _why_. What'd you do, steal it from some high-ranking officer? Or are you smuggling something dangerous inside it?"

With every word, Ed shrank in on himself a little more. And the pain in his eyes was far too real for this to just be about his own fear of being arrested. "I…"

The armor moved, earning a startled gasp from Winry. The helmet tilted up and turned toward Ed with only the slightest creak. And from within the armor came the very last thing Roy expected. A child's echoing voice.

"Nii-san…just tell them."

Ed shot the armor a distressed look. "Al--!"

Roy took an involuntary step back when the armor climbed slowly to its feet until it towered over them all. Its joints squeaked horribly as it moved, a testament to the time spent here in the icy hold, and the eyes seemed to grow brighter with every moment.

"I'm sorry, Nii-san. I just really don't want to be luggage anymore."

Whatever argument Ed had been about to make died in his throat and he bowed his head in defeat. The armor--Al?--took his time stepping out of the crate, still looking around at everyone. It was the strangest sight, seeing armor like that move so gracefully.

"You…you brat!" Ling sputtered, still clutching his bloody nose. "You were smuggling a _person?! _What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"_Shut up!_" Ed yelled. "You don't understand--!"

"Then _help_ us understand," Hughes interrupted. "You must have had your reasons for doing this and I'd like to hear them out. Why are you two running from the Alliance?"

"No," Roy said quietly. "Halfmetal is not the fugitive here. _He_ is."

He expected Al to deny this, to defend himself somehow. But instead Al hung his head in shame and his voice cracked when he spoke. "We…we didn't meant to cause any trouble. Ed was just trying to protect me."

"None of this is his fault," Ed said hoarsely. "_None_ of it. This was all my doing, so don't take it out on him!"

"You called him 'Nii-san'," Winry said softly. Her cheeks were still stained with tear tracks, but she was watching Ed and Al with a strange look. "I know that word…"

Roy held out an arm to keep her back. "You both have a lot of explaining to do. But first…you in the armor. Helmet off. _Now_."

Al hesitated and Ed jumped in front of him defensively. "That's not necessary! Look, just dump us on the nearest world and you won't ever have to hear from us again! When that Alliance bastard comes around, you can tell him we escaped or something--!"

"_That's not good enough!_" Roy roared. "After all the trouble you've brought down on us, you don't have _any_ right to keep secrets. Neither of you are leaving until I see his face."

The hold was absolutely silent after Roy's outburst. Ed was beginning to look truly frantic now, possibly even preparing for another fight. But it was Al who held him back, placing a calming hand on his shoulder. "I'll show you," he said slowly.

"Al!" Ed protested. "You don't have to--!"

"Yes, I _do_," Al insisted sorrowfully. "We owe them that much, at least. But before I take it off, I want to ask you all not to be afraid. I don't…have a normal body."

"Whatever you may look like, we can handle it," Riza said resolutely. "I can guarantee we've handled far worse."

"Not _this_."

Two massive hands reached up and lifted the helmet away from the rest of the armor. But instead of a face beneath it, Roy saw…nothing. There was no head, no neck, no eyes or mouth. Only empty air.

Winry covered her mouth in horror and retreated next to Ling, who looked ready to pass out. Scar's face could have been frozen for all the reaction he showed, but that same stiffness gave away his unease. Neither Riza nor Hughes could seem to decide what to make of this. Roy stepped closer, ignoring the lingering suspicion in his gut, and got a better look inside the armor. There was no sign of _anything_ controlling it from the inside, biological or mechanical. It was completely hollow.

Then Roy saw it. Traced onto the back of the armor, just beneath the neckline, was a transmutation circle that was deceptively simple in design and yet still eluded his understanding. The eight straight overlapping lines suggested the action of binding or linking, but the tiny swirl in the center represented something far more organic. More _ethereal_.

Not just a human transmutation. A _soul_ transmutation. And the array was written in blood.

"What the _hell_ is this?" Roy whispered.

Ed took the helmet from Al's hands and reached up on his toes to set it back in place, his eyes meeting the red lights steadily. Then he faced them, standing side by side with Al.

"This is Alphonse Elric. My little brother."

* * *

Ed shifted from foot to foot nervously. It seemed like every time he entered the dining area, he became the center of unwanted attention. This time, Al was sharing the spotlight with him. Roy paced around slowly across the table from them and but everyone else had taken a seat to listen to his explanation.

And he _did_ owe them an explanation.

"This…this goes back a long time ago," Ed began uncertainly.

"How far back?" Roy said sardonically. "Is this gonna start out as one of those stories where your father dies and your mother hates you?"

"It's the other way around, if you have to know!" Ed snapped bitterly.

"Our father _did_ leave us," Al said in his stead. "When we were very young. It was just me, Ed and our mother. But she was too sick to support us and the State was threatening to have us taken away. For that reason, Nii-san and I started studying alchemy."

"It was the only thing we were any good at," Ed explained. "It came a lot easier to me than to him, so I put everything I had into studying medical alchemy so I could get a job and provide for the three of us."

As he spoke, Ed's memories of those days replayed in his mind, like a movie set on fast forward. So many times the State's representatives had come to their door to check on his studies, ready to whisk him and Al away if he hadn't shown any progress. They had called him a prodigy, a genius. The words had meant little to him. Ed hadn't been in it for himself. All that learning and work had been for Al and Mother.

"I became a State Alchemist when I was twelve," Ed went on. "And things were…okay for awhile. But…"

The next words wouldn't come.

"Mother died," Al said simply. "And we tried to bring her back to life with alchemy. With human transmutation."

Most of the crew just looked confused, but Roy stopped pacing with an appalled look. "You…you attempted human transmutation? At _twelve?!_"

"Thirteen then," Ed said dully. "Al was twelve."

"Is that even possible?" Riza said slowly.

"No!" Roy exclaimed. "Not even _close_ to possible. It goes against nature itself, the laws of alchemy won't allow it. Anyone who has ever tried has not only failed, but been killed or crippled for life. You two shouldn't even be standing here!"

Ed smashed his palms on the table. "_You think we don't know that?! _Look at us! Do you think there's even the slightest chance we don't understand the enormity of what we've done?"

"What happened to your brother?" Scar said harshly. "It's clear you lost the arm and leg from the rebound. But how did Alphonse get to be…like that?"

But Ed couldn't speak anymore. The memories he had tried so hard to push back were rushing to the forefront of his mind. He could see their basement, their notes spread out all over the floor. And the array, that damned _array_…

Al moved up behind him and his hands came down on Ed's shoulders. "Nii-san transmuted my soul to save me."

"How's that?" Ling said faintly.

"I lost my leg in the rebound," Ed said brokenly. "Al's body vanished right before my eyes. I wasn't…I couldn't lose him too, so I sacrificed my right arm in another transmutation. This armor belonged to Hohenheim…"

"Our dad," Al explained.

"…it was all that was in reach at the time. I used my blood to draw the array inside and bound his soul to the armor."

"Unbelievable," Hughes breathed. "You must have been in so much pain, and still to do something like that…"

"And this is why the Alliance is after you two," Riza said in the silence that followed.

Roy raked his hand through his hair. "I should think so. I've never heard of _anyone_ transmuting a soul before. Human bodies can be transmuted, but it's always been believed that the soul was untouchable by human hands. Does the State know what they're after?"

Ed nodded grimly, meeting his eyes again. "They know. Because I took him back from them only last week. When I woke up after transmuting his soul, it was just in time to see those bastards locking him in the back of a transport ship."

"Oh God," Winry gasped. "But you said you performed the transmutation when you were thirteen! That was--!"

"Two years ago," Ed said flatly. "The State kept me alive in some facility, questioned me all about what I'd done. I don't remember how much I told them. I couldn't keep track of any of it, I was in so much pain when they brought me there."

"And I was taken somewhere else," Al told them softly. "It took me a long time to understand what had happened to me. I didn't even know if Ed was still alive. I…I don't remember much of those years. I just remember a lot of questions and a lot of people trying to activate the seal. None of them could. And in this state, they couldn't any force answers out of me. After awhile, they just stopped talking to me altogether."

With every word, Ed's heart became that much more frozen over. They hadn't had any time after escaping the facility to talk about their separate experiences. He had known that Al had gone through experiments and examinations, but the details had been sketchy.

"And you?" Roy said, nodding at Ed.

Ed swallowed dryly, dredging up his memories of the time spent apart from Al. "Not long after it happened, I got rescued by these people with some anti-government movement. The place where they took Al…I guess there were a lot of people in there being experimented on by the State and they agreed to save Al only if I helped them shut the place down."

"Is that when you got your automail?" Winry inquired.

"Yeah. It took a year to get it installed and then the next year was spent trying to get Al back. We had it all planned out. We freed a few of the more dangerous prisoners, set fire to the place and basically let all hell break loose. I found Al and got him out of there during all the confusion."

"I thought I was hallucinating when I first saw you," Al murmured. "I was so scared you would just…just _vanish_ right in front of me."

Ed looked up at him, swallowing back tears of his own. "Same here."

Roy braced his hands on the table. "And that was when you waltzed onto Serenity with the guns of the State on your backs. I guess I don't need to tell you how little we appreciate all that you've brought down on us."

"I didn't ask for this to happen," Ed ground out. "I thought we got away clean and that we could get to the border without anyone knowing--"

"Typical, idiot Core kid," Roy snarled. "_You_ might be able to blend in, but I can't see Al walking down the street without attracting attention. What did you plan to do once you got to the border? Hide away in a little hole and never see the sun again?"

"I'm going to return Al to his body," Ed said quietly. "I'm going to find a safe place for us and study my ass off until I know enough to restore him to the way he was. _That_ is my plan."

A faint emotion flickered in Roy's eyes. Something like surprise and…approval? The captain moved away from him, looking at everyone else one at a time. His gaze fell on Al last of all and stayed there the longest.

"If Rose pulls through, you two can get off at Whitefall," Roy said finally. "If not…we'll revisit this discussion."

Ed let out the breath he had been holding. "You're not…turning us in?"

"The Alliance would probably kill us all just to make sure what you did stays a secret," Roy muttered cynically. "Even pretending not to know anything wouldn't help. Hughes, are you _sure_ they didn't get anything on us?"

Hughes nodded wearily, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion. "Positive. At the most, they know that there are fugitives on _a _firefly, but they don't know anything about us. I doubt Dawson even told them exactly who he had in custody. This isn't the kind of secret you let just anyone in on."

"So our only problem is Dawson," Ling said quietly. "Captain, do you need me to…?"

"That's not necessary," Roy replied. "A missing Alliance agent might draw attention to us. Just keep him breathing until I decide what to do with him. For now, we're done here."

"No, we're not!" Winry said suddenly, rising from her seat. "We can't just abandon Ed and Al on Whitefall! That place is a den of criminals!"

Roy looked the brothers up and down. "Those two can fend for themselves. They've managed so far. Barely."

Ed watched with narrowed eyes as Roy left the room, only vaguely aware of the crew falling into quiet discussion. With barely a glance at them, he slipped out the door after the captain. Al followed just a step behind. "Nii-san…"

"Go down to my dorm," Ed said quietly. "Wait for me there."

"What are you going to say to him?" Al asked guardedly.

Ed flashed him a grin. "Just want to check something. Don't worry, I won't get us thrown out the airlock…I hope."

He left Al behind and shadowed Roy through the narrow hallways to the cargo hold. Dawson's prison was still erect, taking up a large chunk of space in the center of the hold, and he could see the agent looking out through one of the slits in the metal. Ed followed his gaze and spotted Roy crouching near the stairs. Ed leaned out from the doorway, trying to catch a glimpse of what he was up to.

"Don't sneak around," Roy called without looking up. "It makes you look like a criminal."

Ed moved into the open and approached cautiously, watching in fascination as Roy slid a panel in the wall aside and pulled out three large crates. "Who's the criminal here? What are you guys, smugglers? Is that the real reason you won't turn us in?"

"There are a lot of reasons I'll never go running to the Alliance," Roy replied as he hauled the crates out of their hiding place. "Hearing your story just reaffirmed those reasons all over again."

"But you were still ready to turn me in before you learned about Al," Ed said in thought. "What changed your mind? Was it hearing how they treated him? Or is there some cheesy code I'm missing about how outlaws should always hold hands and stick together?"

Roy piled up the crates in the center of the hold, never once looking up at him. "You don't want to walk down this road with me. As far as I'm concerned, you and every other State Alchemist out there are the low-lives who sold their souls for a few extra credits."

"That's kind of arrogant, don't you think?" Ed said scathingly. "At least we're earning an honest living! You're nothing but a _thief!_ Where do you get off acting so high and mighty when _this_ is how you--!"

Roy rounded on him suddenly and Ed snapped his mouth shut at his expression. Not the icy anger that covered his face like a mask, but real, fiery rage. The kind that made people do stupid things that they would regret later.

The captain slipped a hand inside his jacket and Ed followed the motion, expecting to see a gun. Instead, a white glove was withdrawn and Roy slipped it on his hand with great care. On the back of the glove, a red transmutation circle stood out like a beacon and Ed raked his eyes over it, deciphering it. There were symbols to manipulate the bonds of oxygen and hydrogen, which suggested that it controlled air or water. But the salamander stitched into the bottom was purely symbolic and could only mean…

Oh _shit!_

"You're a kid of the Core," Roy said tersely. "I assume you got the normal education. I'm well aware of what the history books call me, what kind of monster they make me out to be."

Ed took a step back quickly when Roy closed the distance, fear welling up in his throat. "The Incinerator," he rasped. "The Cremator, the Commander of Hellfire. The only alchemist to master fire alchemy and use it effectively in battle. He could make a ship fall out of the sky or a person burn to ashes just by--"

He openly flinched when Roy snapped his fingers, creating sparks. The array sparked to life and a lick of flame shot straight for Ed. He ducked just as it raced over his head, singing the hairs at the nape of his neck. He raised his head and backed up to a crate behind him, caught midway between terror and wonder.

"You're the Flame Alchemist!"

"You're damn right I am," Roy said with all the assurance of a soldier. "The Alliance left me with nowhere to go after the war. I'm one of the very few free alchemists that got out alive. This ship and its crew are all I have. Anyone who threatens that has crossed a serious line with me."

The captain stood right above him now and Ed watched him with wide eyes, half-expecting Roy to kill him then and there. His eyes flicked over to the door, but there was no way he could make it in time or shout out for help. Like anyone but Al would answer.

"Lucky for you," Roy said quietly, "the history books are lying. I don't murder children."

He stepped back, allowing Ed to climb to his feet. But Ed wasn't going to let him off the hook that easily. Just as Roy turned his back, he transmuted a blade on his automail and brought it up right beside the captain's neck. Roy froze at the touch of cold steel.

"I'm not a child," Ed told him. "Maybe I've never been on a battlefield, but I've been fighting a war all the same. Don't you _ever_ underestimate me."

The intercom came to life and a shaky voice filled the hold.

"_This is Hughes…the pilot, obviously. We're passing another ship, and…it looks to be Reavers._ _Running is just asking for trouble, so I'm holding course. We'll pass them in just a minute and see what they do. Everyone…stay calm until you hear from me again._"

"Reavers?" Ed said slowly, lowering his blade. "What's he talking about? Those space monsters from the stories?"

"It's no story," Roy said vacantly and he moved to the door stiffly.

"Mustang…?"

"Go to your brother. And keep that blade ready."

* * *

_A.N. Sometime while writing this, I remembered that Simon tended to call his sister Mei-mei and it got me thinking that this would be a GREAT time to get away with using Nii-san instead of Brother. As much as I love hearing Al say 'Brother', I think Nii-san rolls off the tongue a little better._


	7. On The Wind

_A.N. I've finished writing out this story, so the updates will be coming more quickly now. It's almost spring break and I have other stories I want to work on during the time off from classes. Can't do that when I'm bogged down by this one. _

Chapter Seven - On The Wind

"I'll kill a man in a fair fight. Or if I think he's gonna start a fair fight."  
--Jayne

An ill-omened hush fell on Serenity after Hughes' announcement. Roy made his way back to the bridge with legs gone weak as jelly, fighting all the while to keep the fear from showing on his face. A fear brought on by the very likely notion that their lives would be over within the next few minutes.

On the way to the bridge, Roy passed by the infirmary. Rose had yet to awaken from the surgery and Scar stood beside her, eyes closed as he chanted a prayer over her sleeping form. Outside the infirmary, Ling had taken up a position on the floor with his sword point-down before him, both hands gripping the hilt so hard that they were trembling. He nodded at Roy tersely and went back to staring at the opposite wall. Roy moved past him and scaled the stairs to the corridor that would take him to the bridge.

"Captain?"

Behind him, Al stood in the doorway of the dining area. Roy couldn't read anything from the blank helmet, but the boy's fear was evident in how fragile his voice sounded. "Are they really Reavers?"

"Yes. How much do you know about them?"

Al looked away. "Too much. There were Reavers being studied at the facility I was taken to. Two of them got free and…I didn't s-see what they did exactly, but…"

"You saw the results," Roy murmured.

"I heard the screams," Al said in a hushed voice. "Captain…if they board us, I can fight them. They can't hurt me when my body's like this and I don't get tired. You could seal me in the cargo hold with them and I'll take down as many as I can. At least until they're at a number you can handle."

Of all things Roy had expected of the younger Elric, a backbone was not one of them. But these weren't rational beings they were dealing with and blatant courage was nowhere near enough to stop them.

"I appreciate your offer," Roy said flatly. "But it won't make a difference. If they can't hurt you, they'll overwhelm you and make you watch while they hurt all of us. And if they find out Edward is your brother…they'll make it last longer for him."

Al recoiled at that. He clearly hadn't thought that far ahead. "B-but there must be _something_ I can do…"

Riza came up the stairs, methodically loading a clip into her gun. "The best thing any of us can do is be prepared to face them."

With one last look at Al, Roy walked up to the bridge with Riza at his shoulder. Hughes had both his hands clenched around the steering column and was staring out the front windows with wide eyes, watching the Reaver ship glide closer and closer to them. Its core reactor was out in the open and flashing a deadly purple from radiation. Blood-red symbols decorated the hull and metal spikes jutted out from the ship at all different angles, serving no function but to look threatening.

They were doing an amazing job. Roy's hands were already shaking.

"What are they up to?" Roy rasped.

"N-Nothing yet," Hughes muttered. "I'm hoping they're heading somewhere in particular. But if they change their minds…"

Roy nodded once and, when Hughes looked away, silently held out his hand to Riza. With only the smallest hesitation, she put the gun into his hands. Riza was the only one who was in on his contingency plan, in the event that they _were_ boarded. By the size of the Reaver ship, there were probably nearly thirty Reavers on board. Thirty bloodthirsty monsters ready to invade Serenity in search of victims to fulfill their own base desires.

If that happened, Roy would have just enough time and bullets to murder the rest of the crew before they got to him. It would be a monstrous, inhuman thing to do, but Roy could handle that far better than hearing Winry and Rose scream as they were raped or seeing Ling and Hughes hauled off to be eaten while they were still alive.

Riza released the gun, but her fingers remained curled around his wrist. Her thumb brushed against his racing pulse in an attempt at comfort. A pitiful sort of comfort, but comfort all the same.

Hughes looked back to the screens, checking and rechecking the Reaver ship's trajectory. The Reavers seemed to take forever to pass them, circling Serenity like a hungry wolf.

"They're holding course!" Hughes gasped.

Roy let out a shuddering breath, allowing the slight break in his mask for only a split second. He didn't even notice when Riza took the gun from his hand and put the safety back on.

"They're pushing out further every year," Riza whispered. "Hughes, did you mark the coordinates?"

"Yeah," Hughes said grimly. "Yet another course we can't fly."

Roy braced his palms against the console, watching the screens to make sure the Reaver ship had really gone. He _hated_ this. Whether it was the Alliance or the Reavers, he was always outnumbered, always on the run or on the verge of losing everything. Nothing he said, nothing he did ever made a difference. It happened when he was a colonel and hadn't stopped after becoming a captain.

Either way, Roy was always powerless to protect those who depended on him.

"Hey," Hughes said slowly. "Do you guys ever feel like the sky's getting a little crowded?"

* * *

The moment Ed entered the engine room he decided it was the best place on the entire ship. It wasn't quite as big as the dining area or as cozy as the dorms and there were no windows either. In fact, the whole room was noisy and smelly and dangerous. And it made him feel more alive than he had felt in a long time.

Of course he would have been a lot more comfortable if he wasn't missing his shirt.

"_Ow!_"

Ed jerked his arm away from Winry's tools, rubbing his steel shoulder uselessly. "What was _that_ for?"

"Get back here, I'm not done yet," Winry huffed. "It wouldn't hurt if you just let me take the arm off."

"It's staying on," Ed growled.

"Then quit being a baby and let me do this!"

"Are you calling me _small?!_"

Winry reached down and hauled his arm back over her legs. They were in the doorway of the engine room so she could sit on the step above him while she worked. Ed couldn't stop himself from peeking down the hallway in search of eavesdroppers. The last thing he needed was for the captain to see them like this and get the wrong idea.

Or Ling. Or Hughes. Or Al.

_Especially_ Al.

"Just one more should do it," Winry mumbled to herself.

"One more what?"

She hooked her wrench around the exposed shoulder joint and _twisted_, throwing all her weight into it. Ed yowled and jumped halfway across the engine room, clutching his arm as an icy shock rushed up his nerves. "What the ruttin' hell did you do?!"

"I fixed it," Winry said determinedly. "Now move it around. How does it feel?"

"Like some psycho mechanic busted it open and--!"

Ed paused in the middle of rolling his shoulder around. When he didn't feel anything unusual, he slowly raised his automail high above his head. Before Winry's meddling, he hadn't been able to get it higher than his shoulder without causing a horrible ache. Now it moved almost as well as his real arm.

"What the ruttin' hell did you _do?_"

The mechanic gave him a brilliant, cocky smile. "Not much. Your shoulder was grating against the port before and pinching some wires when you lifted your arm up. That was the ache you felt. Now that it's loose, you just have to keep it oiled and you'll retain full range of motion."

"That was all?" Ed said in amazement. "It feels _incredible_ now! I never knew it could move _this_ easily."

"I need to put the plating back on," Winry told him and Ed sat back down obediently. "Honestly, you're lucky you can _move_ with all the problems you're having. Most of which could have been avoided with regular maintenance!"

Ed winched when she twisted the last screw in place and reached for his shirt. "Believe me, this is the last time I forget to oil the damn things."

Footsteps in the hallway warned them both of Ling's arrival. He squatted in the doorway, watching Ed do up the buttons of his shirt with narrow eyes. "Am I interrupting something…_private?_"

"Don't be such a child," Winry said grumpily. "This might be Ed's last chance to get a maintenance check for a long time. He needs all the help he can get."

Ling snorted. "Doesn't matter how much help he gets, it's not going to stop him from being vertically challenged."

"Shut up!" Ed barked. "It's not like you're one to talk. You're still pretty short for an adult."

Winry paused in the middle of putting her tools away. "Edward…Ling is fifteen."

Ed's mouth dropped open and then snapped closed again. He looked between Winry and Ling, searching for some kind of trick. When neither of them denied her statement, he stepped up into the doorway next to Ling and motioned at him curtly. "Stand up!"

Ling rose up to his full height, at least a head taller than him. Ed felt the blood start pounding in his ears.

"Edward?" Winry said timidly.

Ed snarled and pointed an accusing finger at Ling. "You're_ ugly!_"

A vein throbbed in Ling's forehead. "Only because you broke my nose! Look at it, it's all crooked!"

"Told you I was tall enough to break your face!"

_ClangClang!_

Ed and Ling both went down with huge lumps on their heads, staring up at a wrench-wielding Winry in shock. "If you two are going to argue, then take it outside my engine room! _Sheesh!_"

She slammed the heavy door closed and shoved the lock in place. Beyond the door, Ed could just hear her muttering to herself as she messed around with her tools. He rubbed his head with a quiet curse and got to his feet. "Man, what a gearhead…"

"You'll ruin her too, you know."

Ed stopped dead in his tracks. "What?"

Ling stood up as well, never taking his eyes off Ed's face. "Because you brought that agent on board. If he gets the chance to tell the State you and your brother were here, all the crew will be held responsible. She's put her heart and soul into this ship, with this crew. You really want to be the one to snatch that away from her?"

Ed wanted to argue, but no words would come. Ling was absolutely right. At the time, Ed hadn't imagined that his actions could have such a negative impact on the lives of others. Or at least it hadn't seemed very important at the time.

But the idea of seeing that cheerful, talented gearhead get locked away in a cell because of what he did was…almost unbearable.

"You should be the one to deal with that agent," Ling said quietly. "And I suggest you hurry up. Before the captain decides it's you who deserves the punishment."

"What are you talking about?"

There was a long silence and with each passing second Ling's narrow eyes seemed to grow darker with emotion. Ed felt an inexplicable dread begin to eat away at him from the inside.

"Rose is dead."

Ling brushed past him, vanishing down the hallway without another word. Ed watched him go, his mind completely blank. Rose? Dead?

The words took on meaning and Ed's eyes went wide. He swayed and braced his hand against the wall, suddenly sick to his stomach. She was dead…she was dead…

Rose was _dead!_

Ed rushed down the hallway, feeling as if he were in a dream. This couldn't be right. He had checked on her less than an hour ago! The surgery had gone well, she'd been awake and talking! How could she be--?!

Ed streaked around the corner and went barreling down the stairs. Ling's words echoed again and again in his mind, cold and accusing. And Ed's very soul trembled because deep down he knew he was responsible for this. If he had never, ever gotten on this ship, Rose wouldn't have been shot trying to protect him. It was _his_ fault this happened, _his_ fault for not doing enough to save her.

And he and Al would pay the price for this. Once the rest of the crew found out, what would happen? Would Roy still allow them to get off at Whitefall? Or would he just get out those gloves again and kill Ed once and for all?

What would happen to _Al?_

Ed halted just outside the infirmary, gasping for breath from his uncontrolled sprint. The windows had been covered for Rose's privacy so he couldn't see anything inside yet. But the door was open and from within he could hear his brother's voice, soft and sorrowful.

"…never meant for this to happen to you. Ed and I just…w-we needed someplace safe to go. I wish there was something I could do to fix this. I want to make this right, but I _can't_. And I…"

Al's voice cracked as if he were holding back a sob.

"I feel like this is all _my_ fault…"

Ed's heart ached horribly. It _wasn't_ Al's fault. There was no way he could have known what was happening inside that crate. If anyone should be making an apology to Rose, it should be _him_. But it was too late now, far too late…

"Alphonse, it's okay. You don't have to apologize. Ed saved my life. What could I possibly be mad about?"

…the hell?

Ed took the last few steps to the door and leaned against the doorframe in shock. Al had taken a seat on a little stool beside the Rose's bed. And Rose…

Her eyes were open. And she was smiling up at Al in reassurance. There was a long more color in her face and her heartbeat on the monitor was strong. Rose saw Ed and waved at him weakly, prompting Al to look up as well. "Oh, hi Nii-san!"

"Uh-huh…"

Ed turned away from the infirmary and sagged against the wall weakly, pressing his hand over his eyes. Rose was okay…

He pondered that for a long, long moment.

"That _bastard!_" Edward roared. "That_ sneaky, squinty-eyed SON OF A--!_"

"_Nii-san!_ Not in front of a girl!"

* * *

Up on Serenity's bridge, only one person was laughing.

"That's not funny, Ling," Hughes said sternly. "Ed feels responsible for what happened to her."

"Come on, have a sense of humor!" Ling choked out. "It you were there, you would have laughed too!"

"Why must you constantly antagonize others?" Riza asked with a jaded sigh. "I hope when you're a little older, you'll have the presence of mind not to make light of another person's pain…Captain, if you need to laugh then get it over with!"

Roy wheezed and doubled over, cracking up. "Holy _hell_, I wish I had your brains, Ling! I can just imagine…how did Halfmetal react?"

"He _panicked!_" Ling said gleefully. "He went rushing off to the infirmary with the most hilarious look on his face! And then you should have _heard_ his curses when he saw her alive! Really, that guy makes it so easy for other people to get under his skin."

The communicator blinked and Hughes waved Roy over to it with a wide grin. "Being hailed. It's Dante."

Roy's elated feelings vanished. "You talk to her," he grunted.

"But you're the _captain_, Roy," Hughes said wickedly. "It's _your_ job to negotiate with our clients. Just sweet talk her! Be the ladies' man! And try not to get all uptight and stiff about what happened two years ago."

Roy eased himself into Hughes' chair and, with one last glare at the pilot, answered the call. Dante's face appeared on the little screen. The conservative clothes and smooth, heart-shaped face suggested a young housewife at first glance, but her eyes were sharp and piercing and filled with a hidden cruelty.

The captain grimaced. Be the ladies' man? To _that_ bitch? Not likely. Everything about her was fake, even her looks. Dante kept herself looking young and demure with a host of cosmetics and creams shipped in all the way from the Core. If she wasn't twice as old as Roy, he would eat his own gloves.

"And how is my captain this fine morning?" Dante inquired politely.

He forced a smile. "Hello, Dante. I see you're as saggy and wrinkled as ever."

Dante touched a faint wrinkle beside her right eye with a sour look. "And you're as tactless and gruff as ever, Roy. I marvel at Riza's patience in dealing with a man like you every day. And please let her know that my offer is still open. We can talk at length about it once you land."

Roy covered the screen with his palm and looked back at Riza. "Offer?" he breathed.

Riza shrugged uneasily and motioned for him to keep talking.

"Oh…she didn't tell you," Dante murmured. "Well, I see no reason to enlighten you, as it's between me and her. Woman to woman, so to speak."

"Woman to hag, you mean," Roy muttered.

"Enough, Roy," Dante said edgily. "Was your pilot telling the truth about that cargo? I must admit, the low price concerned me."

"Because it's imprinted. Alliance."

Dante's eyebrows went up. "Government goods? Getting a little ambitious, aren't we?"

Roy's heart leapt. "If you're not interested, it's no harm. We'll bypass Whitefall and move on--"

"Don't be silly, Roy," Dante laughed. "Are you still bothered by our spat two years ago? That's no reason to avoid me. I'll gladly buy those goods off you. I'll upload coordinates for a rendezvous outside of town."

With that, the screen went dark. Damn. Roy turned the chair around as was met with the amused faces of his crew. Hughes was hiding a snicker behind his hand.

"Keep that up and I'll make sure she shoots _you_ this time," Roy growled.

"Sir, we shouldn't trust her," Riza said quietly. "I don't think she has any plans to pay us. She would have haggled us down otherwise, especially since this cargo is so dangerous for us to keep."

"No!" Ling burst out. "We're _not_ walking away from another buyer! If Dante won't play by the rules, then it's up to us to make sure she does! They have guns, we have guns. Nothing else to it."

"This isn't the wild west, Ling," Hughes exclaimed. "You don't just go around threatening people until they fork over their money. We have our own code to abide by."

"What code?!" Ling demanded. "What's the use of saying we have a code when we let everyone else make up their own rules?! We should have just forced Greed to keep his end in the first place!"

"That wasn't your call to make!"

"It _should_ have been--!"

Roy slammed his fist on the console, getting everyone's attention. He met Ling's gaze and held it, causing the Xingese boy to shift uncomfortably.

"Is that how it is, Ling?" Roy asked. "Is that how you really feel? That I'm making all the wrong calls and our crew would be better off if I wasn't in charge?"

"N-no," Ling faltered. "That's not what I--"

"Because if it is, then tell me straight up," Roy went on. "Don't _ever_ lie back and let me walk all over you. Speak out. I don't care if it's my plans or my leadership or my choice of haircut you disagree with, I want to hear about it. I'm the captain, not the dictator. So tell me again…do you have a problem with me?"

Ling didn't answer at first. He looked like he _wanted_ to say yes, but was unable to in light of the reality of their situation. The others may not have believed Ling's stories about being an almost-prince and an almost-emperor, but Roy knew better. Those who only fantasized about that kind of power didn't carry such a heavy burden in their eyes.

"No," Ling said finally. "I have faith in you, Captain. I just don't see why we're the ones who have to run away all the time."

Roy clapped him on the shoulder. "Who said anything about running away?" he asked deviously.

Ling's eyebrows rose up to his hairline. Roy looked around at the others. "Dante has the money to pay for this cargo. And I think Ling is right when he says we should _make_ her pay. Once that's over, we can decide how best to deal with the Alliance agent and the Elrics. There are obstacles in our path and we're going to deal with them one by one. We'll get through this. We _will_."

* * *

_A.N. I just couldn't resist adding in the 'you're ugly!' moment from the manga. One of the few awesome moments that weren't included in Brotherhood. And is it just me or could Ling totally pull of Jayne's fuzzy hat?_


	8. Failed Negotiations

Chapter Eight - Failed Negotiations

"I don't suppose you'd find it up to the standards of your outings. More conversation and somewhat less petty theft and getting hit with pool cues."  
--Inara

They set off the moment Serenity touched down on Whitefall, loading all three of the crates into the quad. If all went well, they wouldn't be coming back with them. Roy had only Ling and Riza accompany him on the job, leaving Hughes in charge of the ship. Dawson was still safely contained in the hold and the Elrics weren't about to start a fight. If anything, Roy half-expected Ed and Al to take off long before they returned.

The rendezvous turned out to be a small valley surrounded by rolling hills. Like most border moons, Whitefall was mainly desert with barely any vegetation except for some scrub bushes. There would be no cover here if things got violent. Ling drove the quad away to hide the crates while Riza and Roy took a look at the valley from the peak of one of the hills.

"What do you think?" Roy asked her.

"Two entrances and exits," Riza said in real annoyance. "Good place to hedge us in, keep us from running away."

Roy nodded at the other hills. "Think she'll have snipers?"

Riza slung her own sniper gun over her shoulder and drew a long knife from her belt. "I doubt it. But I'll check to make sure. Once I send the word, you can make the deal knowing any bullets coming from above will be on our side."

Roy had no doubt about that. Riza set off into the underbrush just as Ling returned and passed a transmitter to Roy. He popped a second one into his ear and pressed a button. "Testing, testing! Hear me okay, Captain?"

"I'm standing right here."

"Hmm…you're coming in a little gravelly."

"I'm standing right here!"

"Oh wait, that's how you sound naturally…"

Roy rounded on him. "Do you want to swing at things with your sword or not? Cause I'll send you back to the ship right this minute if you keep messing around."

Ling drew his sword and rested the blade across his shoulders casually. "You don't have the nerve to send me away. Who would be here to cover your ass? I bet Dante is still a great shot."

"She's _not_ a great shot," Roy grumbled. "Last time, she was actually aiming for my head."

Ling snickered and they set off, making their way to the valley floor. Half an hour of skidding down sandy slopes and picking through thorny scrubs bushes left them both dusty and too irritable to speak by the time they reached the rendezvous point.

The mood didn't get any lighter when Dante put in her appearance ten minutes later along with her followers, all riding in on horses. Roy kept a careful eye on her as they halted in a line only a few yards away. Dante was small for a woman to begin with and now, sitting sidesaddle on a horse and surrounded by gun-toting men, she looked about as dangerous as a flower.

"Captain," Dante said silkily. "It's been far too long. How's your wound? I recall you were in a great deal of pain when you retreated."

"I've had worse," Roy ground out and his eyes flicked up to the hills around them. How much longer did Riza need?

"Why Captain, I'm insulted," Dante said, seeing the direction of his gaze. "Even now you're expecting a bullet in the back? When I've gone to all the trouble to bring your payment?"

Dante motioned at one of the men and he passed her a small leather bag. The sound of clinking coins drew Roy's eyes back to her. That was their paycheck.

"You also brought _that_ lot," Ling said distrustfully, waving his sword at the six men around her. "Is all of his necessary for only three crates?"

"Very," Dante said quietly and now it was her eyes drifting up to the hills.

The transmitter in Roy's ear buzzed. "_In position, sir._"

"Don't be so suspicious, Ling," Roy said in a loud voice. "Even the most honest of us need people on _standby_ in case something goes wrong."

Ling nodded tersely. _Standby_. Roy's signal to both Riza and Ling that they were starting the exchange and to keep their weapons ready. Roy drew one of the gold-wrapped bars from the crates out of his pocket and tossed it to Dante. She unwrapped it and examined the brown, mushy block of nutrients inside.

"It's pure, just like I said," Roy informed her. "Three whole crates of those. We've hidden them nearby. Payment first, then you get the location and we all walk away happy and breathing."

Far in the distance, a gunshot echoed up and down the valley. Dante's men started and looked around at the hills, keeping their own weapons at the ready.

"Happy and breathing, you say?" Dante said sourly. "And I'm supposed to believe you didn't hide some more of your people around here, ready to pick off my men and take the payment and cargo for yourselves?"

"You're one to talk," Ling said coldly. "You were probably planning on breaking the deal from the start!"

"And if I did?" Dante replied with a faint smile. "What will be our next course of action, Captain Mustang?"

But Roy's mind was a million miles away. Dante had no way of knowing it, but Riza had already been in place long before that shot had gone off. So either someone had come up and attacked her…

"_Sir,_" Riza spoke in his ear, "_that shot didn't come from up here._"

…or the gunshot had come from Serenity.

* * *

The captain and the others left the cargo hold wide open after they left, allowing Al his first view of Whitefall. He already didn't like it. The land was dry and barren and ugly and, from what he had been hearing, the people occupying it were of the rougher variety. Al hovered at the top of the ramp, debating whether to go down and stand on the world itself, but he just couldn't bring himself to. It was nothing like the lush, green fields and brilliant blue sky of his and Ed's home world.

When would they get the chance to return? Or would the Alliance keep chasing them long after Ed found a way to restore his body? Those thoughts had been plaguing Al ever since his brother rescued him from that facility. What kind of life could they expect to lead after all they had been through? Not a happy once, certainly. That would be too much to hope for. But some degree of contentment would be nice…

"Hey. Hey, kid."

Al looked around. Dawson peered out at him from one of the tiny slits in his prison, only his eyes visible in the harsh sunlight flooding the hold. "You're Al, right? Alphonse Elric? They told me you'd be wearing armor."

Al remained silent. This was the man that had wanted to drag both him and Ed back to the State's waiting arms. Offering up any information would just be asking for trouble.

"Listen, I've got a really stupid favor to ask," Dawson said in a strained voice. "I gotta pee. Like, _right now_. Think you could let me out so I can use a bathroom? You're an alchemist too, right?"

"I really don't think I should," Al said slowly. "Nii-san locked you in there so you couldn't turn us in. If I let you out--"

"I won't turn you in," Dawson said quickly. "Right now, I'm more worried about that captain putting a bullet in my head than getting my job done."

Al wasn't so sure he believed that. But the pain in Dawson's voice sounded real enough.

"Come on, _please!_" Dawson pleaded, shifting around. "I _really_ don't want to go in here. How long do you plan on keeping me like this anyway? At least give me a real bunk with a bed and a toilet!"

And Al felt his resolve wavering. Dawson had been in there for well over sixteen hours, trapped in a dark little box just like the cell Al had spent two years of his life in. The fact that Al's body didn't need food or toilet or bed hardly justified the fact that he hadn't even been _offered _any of those things. Dawson's crimes didn't condone that kind of treatment, did they? He had only been doing his job and even shooting Rose had been an accident.

"You swear you won't try anything?" Al said warily, sidling up to the prison.

Dawson nodded fervently. "Yeah, just hurry up! I can't last much longer!"

Al took a piece of chalk from the pouch on his thigh and slowly traced a transmutation circle on the metal. Before activating it, he grabbed some rope lying around on one of the nearby crates. "I'm going to tie your hands once you're out. And if you try _anything_, I'm locking you right back in there."

A half-hearted acknowledgment was all he got, but that would have to do. Al transmuted a door-sized hole for him and Dawson stepped out with a worn sigh.

And Scar appeared in the doorway of the hold. "What do you think you're doing?!" he shouted.

Al took his eyes off Dawson for only a second, but it was long enough. He hadn't known that Dawson still had his gun with him. The agent fired and Scar hit the floor hard, clutching his calf where the bullet had grazed him. Then Dawson turned the gun on Al.

"You'd think an empty heap of steel wouldn't be such a sap…"

* * *

Roy grimaced when Dante's men all cocked their guns at him and Ling. "Don't you have better things to do than burying two dead bodies?"

"The only thing I'm worried about," Dante said pleasantly, "is you two taking the location of the cargo to your graves. So tell me, where have you hidden it?"

Ling raised his hand tentatively, like a kid in grade school. "Correct me if I'm wrong…but you seem ready to kill us whether we tell you or not. How does that work as an incentive to tell you anything?"

"I'm assuming your ship is around here somewhere," Dante replied, motioning for the men to surround them. "If I remember right, you only have a pilot and mechanic on board. I'm sure they'll find their new occupations as _my_ pilot and _my_ mechanic preferable to unmarked graves. Especially when they see their captain's corpse."

The men urged their horses forward, encircling Ling and Roy completely. The two of them stood back to back and Roy watched Dante circle around them, hating that cold, conceited smile.

"But if you fail to tell me where those crates are," Dante warned, "I'll be forced to bury four bodies instead of two. You don't want to give me more work, now do you?"

In his pocket, Roy rubbed his thumb and forefinger together. A satisfying heat built up between the ignition-cloth and he allowed himself a confident grin. "No. That would be a pity, wouldn't it?"

Dante frowned and her eyes darted to his hidden hand. "He has a weapon! Shoot--!"

_Snap!_

Fire ate up the air hungrily, building up to a roaring blaze right in front of Roy. The array on his glove crackled and the fire spread out until it formed a protective wall around him and Ling. Dante's men started firing, but their shots went wide when the horses balked and backed off from the flames. One of them rolled right over and crushed his rider underfoot.

Ling pounced through the inferno like a demon, landing right on the back of a saddle. One swipe of his sword sent the rider crashing to the ground, minus an arm. The Xingese boy pulled the horse around and galloped after two of the men that were trying to flee, sword flashing in the bright sun and bellowing a war cry in his native language.

"_Shoot him! Kill him!_"

Beyond the fire, Roy saw the last two of Dante's men regrouping before her with their guns ready. He ducked low to the ground and pulled out his own pistol, keeping his gloved hand out and the fire going strong. He doubted they could see him very well through the fire. Then again, neither could he. Roy fired off at random, emptying his gun within seconds. Shockingly, the two men went down. It looked like Riza wouldn't need to snipe anyone after all.

Roy allowed the flames to die down and stepped away from the charred dirt, tossing his empty gun aside. He opened his mouth to say something and ended up having a coughing fit instead. Damn smoke.

"Alchemist," Dante spat as she fought to control her jumpy horse. "You're a damned alchemist! How long have you been working for the State?"

Roy snapped his fingers again and a lick of flame along her horse's flank made the creature throw her in the dirt. "Don't _ever_ insult me like that again. And let me guess. Carrying a gun of your own is too unladylike?"

Dante raised her head and swiped some dirt from her cheek with a haughty sneer. "I don't need one. Not when I have the hawk's eye on me."

_Hawk's eye…Riza Hawkeye… _

Roy's heart began to pound horribly loud. Being under the "hawk's eye" was a code he and Riza had used during the war to let their comrades know she was nearby with her sniper gun, covering their backs. There was no way for Dante to know that code unless Riza had told her about it. Which meant…

"She took my offer to be my bodyguard!" Dante chattered out in excitement. "Your trusted second-in-command contacted me the moment you landed. I think I can safely assume _she_ knows where the crates are. The crates, your ship, your crew…all of them are mine now. The same with your hawk's eye!"

Dante pulled a communicator out of her pocket and pressed a button. "Now, Hawkeye! Put a bullet to his head!"

Far in the distance, a sniper gun was fired.

Nothing happened. Then there was movement behind him. Roy turned to see one of Dante's men slump to the ground with a bullet in his skull, a knife slipping from his fingers. Another wound on his side showed where Roy's bullet had marked him earlier, not killing him like he first thought.

Roy's heart started beating again and he returned his attention to Dante, who scrambled back and stretched her hand out for an abandoned gun. The captain took two strides forward and stomped on her wrist. Her other hand was still clenched around the bag holding their payment and Roy claimed that for himself.

"Ready to start negotiating?" Roy said in amusement.

"You planned this," Dante gasped. "You and her…you planned it all just to spite me!"

Roy kept his smirk in place as he stepped back to let her up, keeping his fingers poised to snap. "If it makes you feel better, it was all her brilliant idea. We're leaving the crates. Good luck spending the next few weeks trying to find them. And if your people have set a single foot on Serenity--"

Dante dusted the sand off her skirts. "Not quite yet," she sniffed in disdain. "That was going to be our next stop."

Roy kept an eye on Dante as she hoisted herself onto the nearest horse and galloped away. Only once she was nearly out of sight did he let his guard down and slip the money inside his coat. If Dante hadn't sent her people to take the ship yet, then what was that gunshot he had heard?

Ling returned from his own fight just in time to see Dante go. He settled down on the ground cross-legged to clean his sword and nodded at her retreating form. "Sure it's safe to let her go? I thought anyone who saw your alchemy had to die. Or be paid to stay silent."

Roy prodded one of the bodies, rolling it over. On the man's middle finger was a silver ring with an insignia on it. Or at least what looked like an insignia, but Roy knew an array when he saw one. "She has alchemists of her own," he said quietly. "Anyone who turns in a rogue alchemist automatically gets their name flagged and all their associates are questioned. It would be too risky for her."

Ling nodded. "Good to know. Back to the ship?"

"As fast as possible. Get the quad and pick up Hawkeye. I'll join you further back--"

The transmitter buzzed. "_Sir, we have to go now! I just heard from Hughes--_"

"What is it?" Roy demanded. "Did the agent get loose?"

"_Worse! The Reavers followed us! They're breaking atmo as we speak!_"

* * *

"And just look at _this_ one! Isn't Elysia _adorable_ in that sundress?"

"Uh huh. Look, Al and I _really_ should be packing up…"

Hughes threw his arm around Ed's shoulders and guided him over to the pilot's chair. "Nonsense! I haven't even showed you the pictures from our wedding day! Gracia wore the loveliest wreath in her hair!"

More pictures were shoved under Ed's nose and he reluctantly took them, flipping through them. Gracia reminded him strongly of his own mother, especially in the pictures where she was holding little Elysia. They both looked so happy, always smiling or laughing at something.

"How come you aren't in any of these pictures?"

"I was behind the camera," Hughes replied, pointing out one picture where a finger had covered part of the lens. "Most of the ones from when Elysia was a baby were absolutely terrible. The lens was _always_ out of focus and made our little girl look like a pink blob!"

Ed turned one picture over, startled by the date on the back. The pictures had been taken nearly ten years ago. "So why aren't you with them now?" he asked slowly. "Why are you out here? They must miss you a lot."

Hughes leaned back against the console heavily, looking out the windows at the desert world with a distant expression. "There's no one waiting for me back home. I…lost them both a long time ago."

"Oh," Ed mumbled, his heart sinking to the pit of his stomach. "I'm sorry…I didn't know."

"It's fine," Hughes assured him. "I'm okay now. I wasn't for a long time, but it's gotten better since I took this job."

Ed let his eyes wander around the bridge until they landed on one particular picture taped to the wall beside the pilot's chair. It was Hughes and Roy and Riza, all standing before the open hold of Serenity. Riza was smiling politely and Hughes grinning, but Roy looked more than a little disgruntled.

"That was when I first got the job," Hughes told him. "Roy and I didn't hit it off well at first. Can't imagine why. I was as friendly as can be. But after a few jobs, things just clicked between all of us. We don't always like each other, but everyone's always there to help. It's like having a family again, being with this crew."

"Family, huh?" Ed said thoughtfully. "Sounds a lot like me and Al. We drive each other crazy sometimes, but…"

"But you were still willing to go through years of hardship to get him back," Hughes finished. "I have to say, I admire your courage. You two have both been through so much."

"We've still got a long way to go," Ed said quietly, and he looked out on Whitefall again. Their new home. It would take awhile to get used to thinking that way.

"Let me ask you something," Hughes said suddenly. "Did you ever consider your odds might be better…on the move?"

Ed looked up at the pilot. "What do you mean?"

Hughes waved vaguely at the window. "Look at it this way. The longer you stay in one place, the more likely people will notice you and mention it to the next Alliance agent that comes calling. But if you keep moving around, the State would have a much harder time pinpointing exactly where you are. On top of that, you would see more, hear more, learn more. Might be that you'll experience enough to figure out how to get Al back to normal."

But Ed was already shaking his head. "Al and I don't have the money or the resources to keep moving around--"

Somewhere on the ship, a gun fired.

"The hell?" Ed exclaimed. He jumped up from the chair and sprinted out the door.

"Ed wait--!"

Behind him, a warning alarm started blaring and called Hughes back to the bridge. Ed kept moving until voices drew him to the cargo hold. He shot through the upper door, running right into the railing on the catwalk.

"_Al!_"

Dawson was free somehow, Scar had been shot in the leg and Al stood between them, shielding Scar from further harm. Ed didn't even have time to question how or why this had happened before Dawson raised the gun to him. He ducked back just as a bullet whizzed past his ear, retreating through the door and flattening himself against the wall.

"_Reavers!_" Hughes announced over the intercom. "_Reavers coming in fast! We are in the air in one minute!_"

"Quit hiding!" Dawson called up. "You don't want me to have to murder another innocent person in the name of capturing you, do you?"

"These people don't have anything to do with us!" Al cried. "Just leave them alone!"

"Can't do that," Dawson told him. "Do you have any idea how much the State offers for turning in rogue alchemists? Just you two would have been enough to land me a nice paycheck, but throw the Flame Alchemist on top of that and I'll be looking at early retirement."

"And that's all that matters to you, isn't it?" Ed hissed, revulsion curdling in his gut. "The money, the perks, the _status_. As long as you have that, you don't give a damn that my little brother will become their _test subject!_"

Ed charged out the door and down the catwalk, hearing bullets bounce harmlessly off the wall behind him. When he was close enough to Dawson, Ed launched himself over the railing and landed right on top of him, forcing him to drop the gun.

"Nii-san!"

"Al, get Scar out of here!"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Al pull Scar to his feet and help him limp out of the hold. Dawson elbowed him hard in the side and Ed doubled over, gasping for air. He narrowly avoided a punch aimed at his head and swept his leg out, kicking Dawson's legs out from underneath him. One more kick in the ribs for good measure and then Ed planted his automail foot on Dawson's throat, holding him down.

"No one…will hurt….your brother!" Dawson gasped in desperation. "You're misunderstanding my intent!"

Ed pressed his foot down more firmly. "I think I'm reading your intent just fine."

"You can still be a State Alchemist!" Dawson said desperately. "Talent like yours won't be wasted. You don't have to be a fugitive! Come back to the State, let them study your work! Your brother's body can be of great use--"

"Let them look at my _work?!_" Ed roared. "That is my _brother _you're talking about! If you think for one second that I would trade my only family for some useless title--!"

"Then do you have the guts to kill me? You had your chance when I shot that girl. It was the _perfect_ chance and you let it go. Do you have the nerve now, alchemist?"

That brought Ed up short. He had never killed anyone in his life. He had spent the past few years _saving_ lives. Not just Al's, but dozens of patients like Rose had depended on him for their survival. But the harsh reality was that if Dawson walked free, he would tell the State all about his brother and about Serenity. Ed and Al wouldn't be the only ones to suffer then. Winry and Hughes and all the others would lose their livelihoods. And Roy, a fellow alchemist, would probably be put to death for treason.

Ed stepped away from Dawson slowly. The gun he had dropped was only a short distance behind him and Ed scooped it up. He and Al owed these people everything. Killing Dawson would just be an act of protecting them, right? Dawson followed his movements as he lifted the gun up, taking aim with his finger on the trigger. It would be so _easy_. The action of pulling the trigger was a tiny little thing, just a slight flexing of the muscles in his finger. That was all it would take to protect his brother. To save Hughes' new family. To let Winry keep working in that engine room she loved so much.

But it was also an action that could never, ever be taken back. That was what stopped him. That and…

"Nii-san…"

Ed's hand trembled. Al looked out at him from the doorway, armored hands clinging to the doorframe and his eyes gone completely dark. "Nii-san, don't."

"I have to," Ed said hollowly.

"_Don't_. I don't want to see you become like…like _them_."

Al moved toward him across the hold, far away one minute and the next right beside him. Al's hand closed over his own, easing the gun from his grip. Ed let his hand drop to his side with a shudder. Now that the gun was out of his hands, he could barely comprehend what had made him pick it up in the first place. The gun hit the floor of the hold with a loud clatter and Dawson took the opportunity to make a run for the outside world.

He didn't get far.

_FWOOSH!_

Al and Ed both jumped back with cries of alarm when Dawson was engulfed in flames. Smoke and the revolting smell of charred flesh filled the hold, causing Ed to cough and gag at the same time.

"Sorry, I was out of bullets."

Roy, Riza and Ling marched up into the hold together, bypassing the smoking pile of ashes that only moments ago had been Dawson. Roy snapped again and those ashes went right back up in flames, burning until there was nothing but dust to be blown out the open door. Riza ran across the hold and punched the button on the intercom. "Hughes, we're on!"

Serenity revved up and the huge door swung closed, allowing Ed only a glimpse of the vanishing ground before it snapped shut. He looked to Roy guardedly. "What happened to us getting kicked off?"

Ling and Riza vanished further into the ship and Roy paused in the doorway for a brief moment. "No time now. You and your brother get to a shuttle and be ready to take off."

Then he was gone. Ed looked to the catwalk, eyeing the stairs that would take them up to the shuttles. Then he ran right past them.

"Ed, the captain said--!"

"Come on, Al!" Ed called back with a wild grin. "Mustang saved us from being turned in by that agent. Let's not stay in his debt any longer than we have to, 'kay?"

Al laughed too and this time his eyes were brighter than Ed had ever seen them. "Okay, Nii-san!"


	9. Big Damn Heroes

Chapter Nine - Big Damn Heroes

"We seem to have got here just in the nick of time! What does that make us?"  
"Big damn heroes, sir!"  
"Ain't we just?"  
-Mal and Zoe

Everyone stampeded up to the bridge so fast that Roy nearly tripped over his own feet at the door. He took a place right behind Hughes' chair with Riza and Ling beside him. Serenity had left the ground behind long ago and Hughes was pale as he guided the firefly over the blighted land.

"Hughes, tell me good news," Roy said breathlessly.

"I don't mean to alarm anybody," Hughes said grimly, "but I _think_ we're being followed."

On the screens, the Reaver ship loomed up behind them. Close enough for Roy to count the decaying bones welded to its nose. The Reavers were in full-on hunting mode now, blasting toward them at full speed. Only Hughes' steady maneuvering through Whitefall's natural canyons was keeping them from closing the distance.

Roy gripped the chair to stay upright through another hard turn and looked back at Ling. "Go find that Ishvalan and get him to help you move Rose to her shuttle. They're to take off if this gets bad."

"Are you sure that's-"

"Ling!" Roy said sharply. "For once, just do as I say!"

Thankfully, Ling left without further argument. Roy checked the screens again, alarmed by how much closer the ship was now. Hughes cursed and snatched up the intercom. "Winry, I'm gonna need a push here!"

Instead of an answer, the intercom came alive with crashes and bangs and some weird crackling noises.

"_No, you idiot!_" Winry bellowed. "_This part needs a right angle! RIGHT!_"

"_I'm getting there!_"

"Edward?" Roy said slowly. He grabbed the intercom from Hughes' hands. "_Halfmetal!_ What the hell are you doing down there?"

"_WHO'RE YOU CALLING A TINY LITTLE HALFPINT MIDGET?_"

More crackling and Roy recognized the sounds as transmutations. Lots of them. Then it was Al speaking to them. "_We're helping!_ _Winry's having us fix up some parts so the ship runs better._"

Roy punched one of the gauges on the console, cracking the glass and bruising his knuckles. "I told you boys to get in the shuttle!"

Hughes grabbed the intercom back from him. "Winry, are we ready for full burn?"

"_On your mark_. _Both of you get over here! See if you can get these fuel lines running better…_"

"Full burn in atmo?" Riza said in disbelief. "Won't that burn us out?"

A slow, slightly-insane grin crossed Hughes' face. "Not if we can pull a crazy Ivan."

"I don't like the sound of that," Roy muttered.

"_I do!_" Winry cried.

"_If she's excited, I'm excited_," Ed announced. "_Let's go for it!_"

Hughes steered Serenity toward the clouds, gaining altitude quickly. But now that they were out in the open, the Reavers gobbled up the distance between them like a hungry wolf. The grapplers on the Reaver ship opened up and took aim, ready to bring Serenity to the ground. They had only seconds left.

"_We're ready down here!_"

Hughes put his hand on a lever. "Hang onto something!"

Roy and Riza braced themselves as best they could. Hughes let his eyes slide over the Reaver ship on the screens with a smirk that told Roy he was rubbing off on the pilot a little too much.

"_Here's_ something you can't do," Hughes growled and threw the lever.

Instantly, Serenity's left engine turned over and the force of both engines powering in opposite directions made the firefly flip a one-eighty. Once they were facing the Reavers, Hughes rotated the engine back in the right direction and they whooshed past the Reaver ship, only yards away from scraping the red symbols on the belly.

"_Now!_" Hughes shouted into the intercom.

That must have been a signal for Winry and Ed and Al because in the next moment an incredible roar filled the ship. Only a few times had Roy heard the engine when it was going full throttle, but even then it had been nothing like _this_. Outside, Serenity's tail end lit up like a star, burning hot enough to leave a trail of smoke and fire behind. The little firefly shot for the stars while the Reaver ship, unable to turn quickly enough, got caught in the backlash and went crashing to the planet below.

Minutes passed as they powered through the atmosphere until only the stars were visible, the planet far behind. Roy didn't relax until Hughes did, sagging back in his chair with a hand over his heart.

"Damn," Hughes panted. "So fast…could've…lost it…_damn_…"

Victory cries flooded the intercom from the engine room and Roy had to smile at how very childish those teenagers sounded. "Put a sock in it!" he called down to them. "We were almost _eaten_ in case you hadn't noticed."

"_The point is that we're NOT eaten!_ _Bastard…_"

"_Nii-san!_"

"_Edward!_"

"_Well he is! We save his ass and that's all the thanks we get?_"

Roy clapped his ailing friend on the shoulder. "You're my hero, Hughes. Now go take a nap. I'll watch the helm."

Hughes staggered for the door with weak wave over his shoulder. "I'm _way_ too old for all this excitement. Wake me up if you decide to take on more kids with dangerous enemies."

"Sure thing," Roy snorted. He slid into the pilot's chair and starting plotting out their course to Boros. When he looked back, Riza was still there.

"You could have told me what you were planning back there," Roy said resentfully. "Making Dante think you were on her side."

Riza avoided his gaze, looking out at the stars. "It was last minute. I wanted to make sure she didn't run off with our payment once things got ugly. For that, Dante had to believe she had an extra card up her sleeve."

"You still could have told me."

"Did you think I would do it?" Riza asked quietly. "When she ordered me to pull the trigger?"

Roy didn't answer at first. It was a valid question. They had built up a great deal of trust over their years spent in the war and then on Serenity. But it was more than that. Riza's father had been Roy's alchemy teacher. To him, she was his responsibility. His closest friend, advisor and confidant. Roy hoped it was the same for her, but it wasn't something they had ever really spoken about.

"I knew you wouldn't kill me," Roy said honestly. "I still couldn't be sure you wouldn't turn on me. We both know there are better jobs out there. More honorable than watching a thief's back."

There. He said it. Roy could deny it all he wanted, but the simple fact was that it was their job to take things from people and bring them to someone else for money. It was ugly and dishonest. Worst of all, it was as thankless as it was dangerous. It was nowhere near the glamorous jobs Roy had envisioned himself having as a child studying alchemy.

Riza set her hand on the back of the chair. "I see no dishonor in looking out for someone who is as willing to die for his men as he is willing to kill for them."

"…been practicing that one?"

"A little."

Roy tilted his head back and beamed at her. "Tell me more about how honorable I am."

"Sir," Riza said sternly. "Part of being a good leader is not letting the power go to your head."

Roy nodded in agreement. "Right, of course."

For a moment, there was only the steady beeping of the monitors to break the silence.

"But seriously-"

"You're not getting any more compliments out of me, sir."

"Fine…"

* * *

Rose came back to consciousness slowly, as she always seemed to be doing lately. The blank white ceiling of the infirmary was there to greet her once again, but with it came the sharp tang of blood. She barely had the energy to turn her head and then she was met with a frightening sight. Scar sat on the counter nearby with his leg stretched out before him. His calf was covered in blood, so much if it that it was dripping down the cabinets to form a puddle in the floor.

"Scar?" Rose slurred. "Wha' happened?"

"It's not as bad as it looks," Scar assured her as he tied off a bandage. "The Alliance agent got loose."

"Is everyone okay? Are Ed and Al alright?"

"They're fine."

Rose smiled in relief despite her exhaustion. "Good…that's good…"

Scar slid off the counter and limped over to a stool, reaching across the bed to lift a bowl from the side table. Rose's mouth watered at the sight and smell of a steaming bowl of rice.

"Elric said you need to start eating," Scar told her. "To get your strength back. Can you sit up?"

Rose pushed herself up on her elbows and Scar quickly arranged her pillow to support her. She couldn't believe how much effort it took just to lift the spoonful of rice to her lips and then to chew it. But that was quickly forgotten when an incredibly spicy taste flooded her mouth.

"This is…_amazing_."

"It's the spices," Scar said humbly. "I had some left from the last place I stayed. Without it, this would be horribly bland."

"You should have Edward look at your leg," Rose murmured between small bites.

Scar's expression darkened and he ran his hand up and down his bandaged leg. "This is fine. I'll let it heal on its own. My body has been tainted enough."

Rose's eyes were drawn to the motion of his hand, to the swirling symbols tracing over his dark skin. And she finally placed them.

"You mean alchemy?" Rose inquired. "That's right…I heard from my grandmother that Ishvalans look on alchemy as a sin. That was part of the reason my people left."

"Yes," Scar said quietly. "Our monks have always preached that power such as alchemy shouldn't be in the hands of mortals. It's a perversion of God's will."

Rose set the bowl aside, unable to stomach any more. "I don't understand. You're saying _any_ alchemy is evil? Even the alchemy used to save my life?"

Scar's hand closed into a fist. "Alchemy is a temptation to sin. It lures people with its promises of a power on equal with a god's. No one could have that kind of power and _not_ use it for their own gain. And there are no laws to stop alchemists from using their abilities against their fellow man indiscriminately, no one to punish them when they cross lines and hurt other people. Especially not with a government that condones behavior like that!"

"Ed and Al are not like that…"

"During the war," Scar said softly, "I saw many horrible things. Alchemists that had joined the State plowed through the homes of my people to get to the rebels, leaving corpses piled up in their wake. Without alchemy-"

Rose leaned forward and seized his wrist, nearly toppling off the bed.

"Rose!"

"Without alchemy, they would have used guns," Rose panted. "That's w-what happened on my world. I-It wasn't _alchemy_ that killed us, it was _people_-"

Scar gripped her shoulders and lowered her back to the bed gently. Rose shivered when the skin of his right hand came in contact with hers, making her arm tingle. Or was she just imagining it?

"Perhaps you're right," Scar admitted reluctantly. "But that doesn't make the State Alchemists any better for selling themselves out to the Alliance. If I could, I would kill every one of them for what happened to my family."

Rose forced her eyes back open sluggishly. Her body wanted nothing more than to fall back asleep and she was finding it so hard to fight it off. "Even Ed?"

Scar laid his palm over her eyes. His left hand, thankfully. "Elric has forsaken the State. He has outlawed himself for his brother's sake. I don't have any quarrel with him. Rose, you need to sleep now."

"Can't," Rose mumbled. "Want to…say goodbye…before you all leave…"

"I highly doubt any of us are getting off at Boros," Scar told her. "If the captain had really wanted the Elrics off, he would have left them behind on Whitefall. And I have nowhere to go, no one waiting for me anywhere. This ship…_Serenity_ has already shown more decency to me than I could ever expect on any other world."

The room was growing darker, fuzzier. Rose could barely hear Scar's voice. He was staying? And Ed and Al were staying? The thought of that made her incredibly happy. Serenity had been her home for so long that she could never imagine leaving. Rose hoped that in time it would become that way for them as well.

"All that's left is for me to convince the captain that I'm worth keeping around," Scar muttered. "There must be _something_ I can do to earn my passage…"

"…ook…"

"What?"

Rose forced the slurred words out. "Be a…cook…"

Dead silence. Then Scar laughed, a sound Rose hadn't thought she would ever hear. "Now _that's_ a notion…"

* * *

Ed found his brother in their bunk a few hours after leaving Whitefall. Al had taken a seat on the tiny bed, causing it to nearly sag to the floor, and was inspecting his armored hands in silence. Ed wished he could read Al's expression, but the blank helmet and flat eyes told him nothing.

He knocked and Al looked up. "Can I come in?"

Al nodded. "How's your automail? It sounded like something broke when Winry threw that wrench at you."

"Good as new!" Ed said with a quick grin, flexing his wrist to show him. He dropped down on the bed beside Al and an awkward silence fell over them. Al looked back down at his hands.

"Hey, Al," Ed said quietly. "What's it like? In the armor?"

Al paused and Ed thought he wouldn't answer for a moment. "I'll tell you if you tell me about the automail."

Ed started in surprise and looked down at the automail fingers in thought. "Um…I guess it's kind of strange. But not that different from what I had before."

Al's bright eyes dimmed. "Okay. In that case, the armor is strange, but also not that different."

"Oh come on, Al!"

"Come on yourself! Tell me the truth!"

Ed scowled up at him, but Al held his ground. He cradled his arm defensively. It always bothered him when people stared at his automail and asked questions about it. It was even worse when they wanted to know how much pain and suffering he had been through to get it installed so they could offer their sympathy, pretending to care.

But this was _Alphonse_…

"It hurts out here," Ed muttered. "The cold makes the joints ache and it gets worse if I don't move around."

He drew his left leg up onto the bed, running his real hand over the calf. "I can't really _feel_ with them. There's the sensation of an arm and leg _there_, but nothing to tell me if I'm touching something. I spent months just learning how to walk when I couldn't feel the ground under one foot. But when it comes right down to it, I'm lucky that I can stand up at all. So I hate them…but I'm also grateful to have them."

Ed fell silent feeling uncomfortable and self-conscious. And Al was taking a horribly long time to answer.

"That's exactly how I feel," Al said pensively. "I'm so glad to be alive. But it's hard to really call this _living_. I can hear and I can see, but that's it. I can tell when something touches me and where my body is, but I can't _feel _it like I used to. Like the automail, I guess.

Like the automail. Ed tried to imagine what that would be like and couldn't. It was too awful to contemplate. How could Al stand to be in the same room as him when Ed was the one who condemned him to that?

"It's so strange," Al went on. "I've gotten used to some things, but there's still so much that I miss. And at the same time, I'm grateful to even have _this _much. Things could have turned out so much worse for us."

Ed chuckled bitterly. "I don't see how."

"We could have died that night," Al said in a fragile voice. "_You_ could have died trying to save me from that place. We could have gotten a ride with people who would have turned us in or just abandoned us outright."

"I'm still trying to figure that one out," Ed muttered. "Why didn't Mustang just leave us on Whitefall like he was planning? The open door was right there."

"Maybe he likes us?"

"I doubt it," Ed snorted. "No one on this ship likes us."

"Winry does," Al said slyly. "Though I think it's really _you_ she likes."

"Hey!" Ed snapped. "That's not-! She only likes me for my automail!"

Al shrugged innocently. "Maybe _now_. Just give her time to get to know the _rest_ of you."

"Don't even go there, little brother!"

"Go where? _ I_ was talking about your personality, what were _you_ talking about?"

Someone knocked on the door before Ed could come up with a response. Hughes leaned in with a knowing grin that said he'd heard more than enough. "Not interrupting, am I? Roy wants to see you up on the bridge, Ed. That is, if you can stand to be in his company for a minute or two."

Ed pushed himself to his feet with an irritated noise. "Don't have much of a choice, do I? Captain Bastard up there calls all the shots on this ship…"

"_Nii-san…_"

Ed grabbed his favorite red coat on the way out and pulled it on as he climbed the stairs. Below him, he heard Hughes talking to Al. "Hey, Al. Me and Ling and Winry are starting a game of poker upstairs. Want to join us?"

"R-Really?" Al faltered. "I…yeah, that would be great! I mean, if you think it's okay…"

"Of course it's okay," Hughes laughed. "We can't have a poker game with only three players! Besides, it's been awhile since we had anyone new to compete against. Do you know how to bluff?"

"I can try, but Ed's the real bluffer…"

Their voices were lost when Ed reached the top of the stairs. A slow sigh escaped him as a hard knot in his chest finally began to unwind. Last week, when he first got Al free from the facility, his brother had barely been able to talk at all. Years in isolation had made him timid and nearly mute. Ed had feared for Al's sanity for the two whole days it took to coax any words out of him. And now, not only was he talking again, he was also making jokes and reaching out to other people. Al was _himself_ again. The fact that he stopped Ed from killing Dawson was proof enough. There was still hope for both of them. That was good to know.

Ed stepped into the bridge to find the captain piloting the ship alone. Roy looked back at him from the pilot's seat, that damnable neutral mask back in place. He still had his glove on, which made Ed more than a little leery.

"So," Ed muttered. "Where do you plan on dumping us?"

Roy waved him over to the other seat silently. He pressed his hands together, scrutinizing Ed thoughtfully over his fingers. "You're free to get off on whichever worlds we choose to land on. But before you make any decisions, I'd like to ask you something. Hughes said he talked to you about how you two would be safer on the move?"

"And I already told him," Ed answered, looking down at the floor. "We don't have the means to keep moving around. All our money is spent…"

"There are other ways to pay your passage."

Ed raised his head. "What do you mean?"

Roy rose from his seat, turning to look out the windows. "It might have become apparent to you that this ship is lacking a doctor. A medical alchemist is almost as good and probably more practical given our situation."

It took Ed a moment to understand the implications. "You…want me to stay? Here? On the ship? What's the catch?"

"The catch is that we're both fugitives," Roy said flatly. "My crew takes jobs as they come, legal or illegal. We don't go out of our way to piss off the State, but we're not their friends either. We've gotten into bad situations before, like what happened to Rose, and only survived because we were lucky. I'm done taking that risk."

"Our common enemy makes us allies?" Ed guessed wryly. "Okay, I think I get what you would gain by having us here. But what's in it for me to stay with Serenity? I'd much rather have us hiding on a moon far, far from the Core."

"Then you'll be happy to know we spend most of our time away from the Core," Roy said with a shrewd look. "Out near the border where the rest of the _fugitives_ are hiding."

Ed caught on to his tone. "Wait. By _fugitives_, do you mean…other alchemists?"

The captain picked up a small transmitter from the dashboard and tossed it to Ed. The tiny screen was alight and showed an article from the local news in Boros.

**Crimson Stones Found-New Energy Source?**

"I assume you're still serious about getting your brother his body back," Roy said seriously. "And the only way to do that is with alchemy. But since you sacrificed your arm to put him like that, I doubt another limb will be even close to enough to reverse it. What you need is an amplifier."

"No such thing," Ed said immediately.

"Ever heard of the Philosopher's Stone?"

Ed laughed aloud at that. "Who _hasn't?_ Some old legend about a stone that acts as a container for limitless alchemic energy…wait! These crimson stones! You're not seriously suggesting-!"

"If this was the only lead, I wouldn't bother mentioning it," Roy amended. "But I've seen stones like that crop up on more than one world. That suggests there are people working on it. People who are _not_ with the State. When you're not working for me as our medic, you can have leave to search the worlds we visit for anything that might be of use to you. That's way better than being confined to a single, remote world with no resources at all."

Ed let himself slump back in his seat, his real leg feeling weak. And he let himself consider the possibility. To stay on Serenity. To live here and work here with the crew he had grown to like so much. Well, except for maybe Ling. And the captain. But Winry was here, and Riza and Rose and Hughes had all been kind to them.

This could be their _home_.

"I just can't believe you're letting us _stay_ here," Ed said slowly. "I thought you were ready to kick us out the door."

Roy grunted and lowered himself back into the pilot's seat. "Yeah well, I just hired an Ishvalan cook when we clearly don't need one. I figured I might as well grab a medic while am at it."

Ed smirked, earning a raised eyebrow from the captain.

"You lied earlier," Ed said slyly. "You're _not_ neutral. You're sheltering two rogue alchemists who broke every rule in the book _and_ you killed an Alliance agent in the process. Hell, you're the freaking Flame Alchemist! You're never going to be neutral when it comes to the State. Just like me."

"And now you think you've got me all figured out?" Roy said with a vague smile. "That's more than a little conceited. Anyone who wasn't in the war with me can't claim to know exactly how I feel about the State."

Ed felt his earlier happy mood drain away, oozing out of his system like molasses. "And how do you think_ I_ feel about them, Mustang? I never even had a chance to pick sides. The war ended six years ago, right after Hohenheim left us. I was nine years old when the recruiters came to our world, promising money and jobs to those who joined the State Alchemists. I thought alchemy could grant me anything I wanted. Now I…I feel like I missed out, never knowing a universe where people could practice alchemy just for the sake of it."

Roy looked to the window. "Welcome to my universe…Fullmetal."

"Fullmetal? Not Halfmetal?"

The captain lifted up his gloved hand and rubbed his fingers together, letting sparks flicker and fall. "Before the war, alchemists used to give each other second names, like Flame Alchemist. It was a way to help the common people remember them and to hint at what their abilities were. I think you've earned a stronger name. One that will make people think twice about messing with you and your brother."

"Fullmetal Alchemist," Ed said slowly. "Catchy. But I'm still gonna call you bastard."

At Roy's sour look, Edward grinned. "Unless you'd prefer Captain Bastard?"

"Keep talking, shorty," Roy muttered. "If you're going to be part of my crew, you need to show me some respect."

"And if I'm going to be your medic, you have to treat me as one of the crew," Ed retorted. "That goes for Al as well."

If looks could kill, there would have been two dead bodies on the bridge at that moment. "I'll let you get away with one more day of acting like a brat," Roy said finally. "But after that if you don't show some maturity, you're both getting booted."

"In that case…"

Ed stood up, calmly walked up to the captain and punched him hard enough to send him sprawling to the floor. Roy stared up at him in utter astonishment, rubbing his jaw.

"I don't like being called short."

* * *

_Take my love, take my land__  
Take me where I cannot stand  
__I don't care, I'm still free  
You can't take the sky from me_

_Take me out into the black  
Tell them I ain't comin' back  
Burn the land and boil the sea  
You can't take the sky from me_

_There's no place I can be  
Since I found Serenity  
But you can't take the sky from me_

_**-Ballad of Serenity-**_

_We were foolish then  
But our trials helped to make us strong  
The burdens are not yours alone  
We sought the answers for so long_

_But they're not free  
They cost you more than they cost me..._

_...__my brother!_

_And I promise you  
There is nothing I won't give  
To see this through  
Return the soul to where it lives_

_**-Nothing I Won't Give-**_

* * *

_A.N. WOOHOO! I can't believe I did it! I still haven't decided if I want to continue this or not. I have other stories waiting for my attention that were put on hold to finish this. I might start writing more episodes just for my own fun, but if this doesn't get many readers I doubt I'll publish them. Besides, if I made more episodes I would be compelled to do the movie as well and THAT would be a job and a half. I've opened a Pandora's box here…_


End file.
